Predictive role of natural killer cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a rare granulomatous disease of unknown aetiology belonging to the wide group of interstitial lung diseases.). Although the limitlessness of BAL fluid is debated, it remains one of the best matrices for studying the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. Natural killer (NK) cells have been described in BAL fluid from sarcoidosis patients. Elevated NK cells in BAL fluid from sarcoidosis patients have been found to be associated with poor outcomes. In this study, NK cells were evaluated in BAL samples from sarcoidosis patients at the time of diagnosis and associated with clinical characteristics in order to evaluate their prognostic role. Of the 276 patients suspected to have sarcoidosis on the basis of clinical and radiological findings, 248 had a final diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Clinical parameters, Scadding stage, and extrapulmonary localization were collected in a database. It resulted in fibrotic sarcoidosis patients being associated with an increase in lymphocyte percentages in BAL samples, particularly NK cells when compared with other groups. From ROC analysis, NK cell percentages in BAL samples resulted as being the best predictive markers in discriminating stage 4 of sarcoidosis from other RX stages (AUC=0.85, p<0.0001). Furthermore, after the stratification of patients on the basis of the number of extrapulmonary localizations, patients with an higher number of extrapulmonary localizations also showed higher percentages of NK cells in BAL fluid. In conclusion, NK cell percentages in BAL fluid can be considered a good prognostic marker of fibrotic phenotypes of sarcoidosis and involvement of other organs, although their diagnostic utility was poor.

Marine polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and silica for drug delivery systems: A review

Marine environments represent an incredible source of biopolymers with potential biomedical applications. Recently, drug delivery studies have received great attention for the increasing need to improve site specificity, therapeutic value, and bioavailability, reducing off-target effects. Marine polymers, such as alginate, carrageenan, collagen, chitosan, and silica, have reported unique biochemical features, allowing an efficient binding with drugs, and a controlled release to the target tissue, also obtainable through "green processes". In the present review, we i) analysed the last ten years of scientific peer-reviewed literature; ii) divided the articles based on the achieved experimental phases, tagged as chemistry, drug release, and drug delivery, and iii) compared the best performances among marine polymers extracted from micro- and macro-organisms. Many reviews describe drug carriers from marine organisms, focusing on a single biopolymer or a chemical class. Our study is a groundbreaking literature collection, representing the first thorough investigation of all marine biopolymers described. Most articles report experimental results on the chemical characterisation of marine biopolymers and their in vitro behaviour as drug carriers, although development processes and commercial applications are still in the early stages. Hence, the next efforts should be focused on the sustainable production of marine polymers and final product development.

Local businesses' consumption and perception of Single-Use Plastics: A preliminary assessment for conservation and mitigation plans in the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area

Modern society depends on plastic, especially through single-use plastic products (SUPs), which can affect ecological systems after use. Local policymakers can strategically adopt measures against SUPs pollution by setting effective local governance. This work was designed to evaluate SUPs consumption inside the Marine Protected Area of the Egadi Islands. A questionnaire mixed approach to understanding stakeholders' consumption, attitudes and perceptions about the uses and impacts of SUPs in the third sector was used. Results show a significant seasonal consumption of SUPs and uncertainty in the behaviour to discard them. These provide valuable insights to fill research gaps in estimating the use of SUPs and consumers' perceptions. The main aim of this work has been to understand the critical issues regarding the use of SUPs, considering the target area's patterns, in support of designing action plans for changing behaviour and the mitigation of critical issues in favour of environmental conservation.

Collagen Type IV Alpha 5 Chain in Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome After Lung Transplant: The First Evidence

INTRODUCTION

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is the most common form of CLAD and is characterized by airflow limitation and an obstructive spirometry pattern without parenchymal opacities. The protein signature of BOS lesions concerns extracellular matrix organization and aberrant basement membrane composition. In this pilot study, we investigated the presence of COL4A5 in the serum of patients with BOS.

METHODS

41 patients who had undergone LTX were enrolled. Of these, 27 developed BOS and 14 (control group) were considered stable at the time of serum sampling. Of BOS patients, serum samples were analysed at the time of BOS diagnosis and before the clinical diagnosis (pre-BOS). COL4A5 levels were detected through the ELISA kit.

RESULTS

Serum concentrations of COL4A5 were higher in pre-BOS than in stable patients (40.5 ± 13.9 and 24.8 ± 11.4, respectively, p = 0.048). This protein is not influenced by comorbidities, such as acute rejection or infections, or by therapies. Survival analysis also reveals that a higher level of COL4A5 was also associated with less probability of survival. Our data showed a correlation between concentrations of COL4A5 and FEV1 at the time of diagnosis of BOS.

CONCLUSION

Serum concentrations of COL4A5 can be considered a good prognostic marker due to their association with survival and correlation with functional parameters.

Rumen microbial community and milk quality in Holstein lactating cows fed olive oil pomace as part in a sustainable feeding strategy

The use of alternative feed ingredients from the Agro-industry could be an efficient tool to improve the sustainability of dairy cow production. Since the richness in polyphenols, olive oil pomace (OOP), produced during olive oil milling, seems a promising by-product to ameliorate milk's nutritional value. The aim of this study was to test the use of OOP produced by means of a new technology (biphasic with stone deprivation) in dairy cow feeding strategy to evaluate the effect on animal performances, rumen microbiota, biohydrogenation processes and milk quality by a multidisciplinary approach. Forty multiparous Italian-Friesian dairy cows, at middle lactation, were randomly allotted into two homogenous groups and fed respectively a commercial diet (CON) and the experimental diet (OOPD) obtained by adding OOP to CON as partial replacement of maize silage. The two diets were formulated to be isoproteic and isoenergetic. The same diets were tested also in an in vitro trial aimed to evaluate their rumen degradability (% DEG). The dietary supplementation with OOP did not affect DM intake, rumen % DEG and milk production. The milk's nutritional quality was improved by increasing several important functional fatty acids (FAs; i.e., linoleic acid, conjugated linoleic acid, oleic acid, vaccenic acid). This finding was related to a decrease in rumen liquor biohydrogenation rate of unsaturated FAs. The stochiometric relation between volatile FA production in the rumen and methanogenesis suggested that OOP lowers the methane potential production (CON = 0.050 mol/L vs OOPD = 0.024 mol/L, SEM = 0.005, P = 0.0011). Rumen microbiota and fungi community did not be strongly altered by OOP dietary inclusion because few bacteria were affected at the genus level only. Particularly, Acetobacter, Prevotellaceae_UCG-004, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001, Eubacterium coprostanoligenes, Lachnospira, Acetitomaulatum, Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20 group were more abundant with OOPD condition (P < 0.05). Data reported in this study confirm that the use of OOP in dairy cow feeding can be an interesting strategy to improve milk nutritional quality increasing functional FA content without compromising the rumen degradability of the diet or causing strong perturbation of rumen ecosystem and maintaining animal performances.

Fluorine-based color centers in diamond

We report on the creation and characterization of the luminescence properties of high-purity diamond substrates upon F ion implantation and subsequent thermal annealing. Their room-temperature photoluminescence emission consists of a weak emission line at 558 nm and of intense bands in the 600–750 nm spectral range. Characterization at liquid He temperature reveals the presence of a structured set of lines in the 600–670 nm spectral range. We discuss the dependence of the emission properties of F-related optical centers on different experimental parameters such as the operating temperature and the excitation wavelength. The correlation of the emission intensity with F implantation fluence, and the exclusive observation of the afore-mentioned spectral features in F-implanted and annealed samples provides a strong indication that the observed emission features are related to a stable F-containing defective complex in the diamond lattice.

Impact of immunogenicity on efficacy and tolerability of tumour necrosis factor inhibitors: pooled analysis of biosimilar studies in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: SB4, SB2, and SB5 are biosimilars of etanercept (ETN), infliximab (INF), and adalimumab (ADA), respectively. This pooled analysis evaluated the immunogenicity of these treatments across three phase III randomized controlled trials of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Patients had to have at least one anti-drug antibody (ADAb) assessment up to the time of the primary endpoint from each study (week 24 in SB4 and SB5 studies; week 30 in SB2 study). The effect of ADAbs on American College of Rheumatology 20% (ACR20) response and the incidences of injection-site reactions (ISRs)/infusion-related reactions (IRRs) were evaluated. Results: The study included 1709 patients. The cumulative incidences of ADAbs were 30.3% in the all-treatments-combined group, 29.1% in the biosimilars combined group, and 31.5% in the reference products combined group. ACR20 response rates were significantly lower in ADAb-positive patients in the all-treatments-combined [odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 1.77 (1.37, 2.27), p < 0.0001], biosimilars combined [2.24 (1.53, 3.30), p < 0.0001], and reference products combined [1.49 (1.06, 2.09), p = 0.0225] groups. ADAb-positive patients also had a higher likelihood of developing ISRs/IRRs in the all-treatments-combined group [0.56 (0.31, 1.01), p = 0.0550], predominantly due to the results observed with SB2 + INF combined rather than with SB4 + ETN or SB5 + ADA combined. Conclusion: In this pooled analysis, ADAbs were associated with reduced efficacy in patients with RA treated with biosimilars (SB4, SB2, and SB5) or their reference products (ETN, INF, and ADA). ADAbs were associated with an increased incidence of ISRs/IRRs in those treated with SB2 + INF. Clinical trial registration numbers: NCT01936181 (SB2 study), NCT01895309 (SB4 study), and NCT02167139 (SB5 study).

Biodegradation ability of two selected microbial autochthonous consortia from a chronically polluted marine coastal area (Priolo Gargallo, Italy)

The aims of this study were: (i) the characterization of the structure of the indigenous microbial community associated with the sediments under study; (ii) the isolation and characterization of microbial consortia able to degrade the aged hydrocarbons contaminating the sediments, and (iii) the assessment of related biodegradation capability of selected consortia. Samples of surface sediments were collected in Priolo Gargallo harbour (Sicily, Italy). The samples were analysed for physical, chemical (GC-FID analysis) and microbiological characteristics (qualitative (16S rDNA clone library) and quantitative (DAPI, CFU and MPN count) analysis). The sediment samples were used for the selection of two microbial consortia (indicated as PSO and PSM) with high biodegradation capacity for crude oil (∼95%) and PAHs (∼63%) respectively. Genetic analysis showed that Alcanivorax and Cycloclasticus were the dominant genera in both the PSO and PSM consortia. Oil-polluted environments naturally develop an elevated biorecovery potential. The presence of a highly specialized microbial flora (adapted to support the contamination) and their stimulation through favourable induced conditions provides a promising recovery strategy. The chance to identify and select indigenous bacteria and/or consortia with a high biodegradation capacity is fundamental for the development and optimization of bioaugmentation strategies especially for those concerning in situ applications.

Nanodiamonds-induced effects on neuronal firing of mouse hippocampal microcircuits

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FND) are carbon-based nanomaterials that can efficiently incorporate optically active photoluminescent centers such as the nitrogen-vacancy complex, thus making them promising candidates as optical biolabels and drug-delivery agents. FNDs exhibit bright fluorescence without photobleaching combined with high uptake rate and low cytotoxicity. Focusing on FNDs interference with neuronal function, here we examined their effect on cultured hippocampal neurons, monitoring the whole network development as well as the electrophysiological properties of single neurons. We observed that FNDs drastically decreased the frequency of inhibitory (from 1.81 Hz to 0.86 Hz) and excitatory (from 1.61 to 0.68 Hz) miniature postsynaptic currents, and consistently reduced action potential (AP) firing frequency (by 36%), as measured by microelectrode arrays. On the contrary, bursts synchronization was preserved, as well as the amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory events. Current-clamp recordings revealed that the ratio of neurons responding with AP trains of high-frequency (fast-spiking) versus neurons responding with trains of low-frequency (slow-spiking) was unaltered, suggesting that FNDs exerted a comparable action on neuronal subpopulations. At the single cell level, rapid onset of the somatic AP (“kink”) was drastically reduced in FND-treated neurons, suggesting a reduced contribution of axonal and dendritic components while preserving neuronal excitability.

Measuring Incompatible Observables by Exploiting Sequential Weak Values

One of the most intriguing aspects of quantum mechanics is the impossibility of measuring at the same time observables corresponding to noncommuting operators, because of quantum uncertainty. This impossibility can be partially relaxed when considering joint or sequential weak value evaluation. Indeed, weak value measurements have been a real breakthrough in the quantum measurement framework that is of the utmost interest from both a fundamental and an applicative point of view. In this Letter, we show how we realized for the first time a sequential weak value evaluation of two incompatible observables using a genuine single-photon experiment. These (sometimes anomalous) sequential weak values revealed the single-operator weak values, as well as the local correlation between them.

Cox-2 Selective Inhibitors and Bone

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely prescribed medications for relief of pain and inflammation. Recent animal studies using models of fracture healing and bone ingrowth suggest that NSAIDs (both non-selective NSAIDs and selective COX-2 inhibitors) adversely affect these bone-related processes. The dose and time-relationships of these medications and their resulting effects on bone have not yet been fully elucidated. Furthermore, whether COX-2 inhibitors and non-selective NSAIDs lead to clinically relevant adverse effects on bone healing in humans is unknown.

Bioremediation technologies for polluted seawater sampled after an oil-spill in Taranto Gulf (Italy): A comparison of biostimulation, bioaugmentation and use of a washing agent in microcosm studies

One of the main challenges of bioremediation is to define efficient protocols having a low environmental impact. We have investigated the effect of three treatments in oily-seawater after a real oil-spill occurred in the Gulf of Taranto (Italy). Biostimulation with inorganic nutrients allowed the biodegradation of the 73±2.4% of hydrocarbons, bioaugmentation with a selected hydrocarbonoclastic consortium consisting of Alcanivorax borkumensis, Alcanivorax dieselolei, Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus, Cycloclasticus sp. 78-ME and Thalassolituus oleivorans degraded 79±3.2%, while the addition of nutrients and a washing agent has allowed the degradation of the 69±2.6%. On the other hand, microbial community was severely affected by the addition of the washing agent and the same product seemed to inhibit the growth of the majority of strains composing the selected consortium at the tested concentration. The use of dispersant should be accurately evaluated also considering its effect on the principal actors of biodegradation.

Experiment Investigating the Connection between Weak Values and Contextuality

Weak value measurements have recently given rise to a great amount of interest in both the possibility of measurement amplification and the chance for further quantum mechanics foundations investigation. In particular, a question emerged about weak values being proof of the incompatibility between quantum mechanics and noncontextual hidden variables theories (NCHVTs). A test to provide a conclusive answer to this question was given by Pusey [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 200401 (2014)], where a theorem was derived showing the NCHVT incompatibility with the observation of anomalous weak values under specific conditions. In this Letter we realize this proposal, clearly pointing out the connection between weak values and the contextual nature of quantum mechanics.

Biodegradation potentiality of psychrophilic bacterial strain Oleispira antarctica RB-8(T)

The present study is focused on assessing the growth and hydrocarbon-degrading capability of the psychrophilic strain Oleispira antarctica RB-8(T). This study considered six hydrocarbon mixtures that were tested for 22days at two different cultivation temperatures (4 and 15°C). During the incubation period, six sub-aliquots of each culture at different times were processed for total bacterial abundance and GC-FID (gas chromatography-flame ionization detection) hydrocarbon analysis. Results from DNA extraction and DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining showed a linear increase during the first 18days of the experiment in almost all the substrates used; both techniques showed a good match, but the difference in values obtained was approximately one order of magnitude. GC-FID results revealed a substantial hydrocarbon degradation rate in almost all hydrocarbon sources and in particular at 15°C rather than 4°C (for commercial oil engine, oily waste, fuel jet, and crude oil). A more efficient degradation was observed in cultures grown with diesel and bilge water at 4°C.

Absolute calibration of an EMCCD camera by quantum correlation, linking photon counting to the analog regime

We show how the same setup and procedure, exploiting spatially multimode quantum correlations, allows the absolute calibration of an electron-multiplying charge-coupled (EMCCD) camera from the analog regime down to the single-photon-counting level, just by adjusting the brightness of the quantum source. At the single-photon level, an EMCCD can be operated as an on-off detector, where quantum efficiency depends on the discriminating threshold. We develop a simple model to explain the connection of the two different regimes demonstrating that the efficiency estimated in the analog (bright) regime allows us to accurately predict the detector behavior in the photocounting regime and vice versa. This work establishes a bridge between two regions of the optical measurements that up to now have been based on completely different standards, detectors, and measurement techniques.

Positive operator-valued measure reconstruction of a beam-splitter tree-based photon-number-resolving detector

Here we present a reconstruction of the positive operator-value measurement of a photon-number-resolving detector comprised of three 50∶50 beam-splitters in a tree configuration, terminated with four single-photon avalanche detectors. The four detectors' outputs are processed by an electronic board that discriminates detected photon number states from 0 to 4 and implements a "smart counting" routine to compensate for dead time issues at high count rates.

Beating the Abbe diffraction limit in confocal microscopy via nonclassical photon statistics

We experimentally demonstrate quantum enhanced resolution in confocal fluorescence microscopy exploiting the nonclassical photon statistics of single nitrogen-vacancy color centers in diamond. By developing a general model of superresolution based on the direct sampling of the kth-order autocorrelation function of the photoluminescence signal, we show the possibility to resolve, in principle, arbitrarily close emitting centers.

Application of relative real-time PCR to detect differential expression of virulence genes in Vibrio anguillarum under standard and stressed growth conditions

In this study, we aimed to understand whether abiotic factors affect the expression of virulence genes in Vibrio anguillarum. We observed the in vitro responses of two Mediterranean strains of V. anguillarum to temperature, NaCl and iron concentration changes. We monitored growth performance and gene transcription levels by comparing the results obtained under stressed conditions (temperatures of 5 °C, 15 °C and 37 °C; NaCl concentrations of 3% and 5%; and iron depletion and excess) with those obtained under standard growth conditions (25 °C, 1.5% NaCl and 0.6 μm of iron). The results showed that the strains respond differently. The strain 975/I was most strongly affected by conditions of 15 °C and iron depletion; these conditions induced increased transcription levels of empA, angR and fatA. Growth of the strain 17/I was inhibited at 15 °C and in iron depletion conditions; this strain also showed dramatic changes in the transcription levels of toxR and tonB2 under increased NaCl concentrations. These results demonstrate that environmental stress affects the expression of virulence genes in V. anguillarum that have implications for the competitiveness, stress tolerance and the ability of V. anguillarum to cause infection.

Revealing interference by continuous variable discordant states

In general, a pair of uncorrelated Gaussian states mixed in a beam splitter (BS) produces a correlated state at the output. However, when the inputs are identical Gaussian states the output state is equal to the input, and no correlations appear, as the interference had not taken place. On the other hand, since physical phenomena do have observable effects, and the BS is there, a question arises on how to reveal the interference between the two beams. We prove theoretically and demonstrate experimentally that this is possible if at least one of the two beams is prepared in a discordant, i.e., Gaussian correlated, state with a third beam. We also apply the same technique to reveal the erasure of polarization information. Our experiment involves thermal states and the results show that Gaussian discordant states, even when they show a positive Glauber P-function, may be useful to achieve specific tasks.

Quantum light in coupled interferometers for quantum gravity tests

In recent years quantum correlations have received a lot of attention as a key ingredient in advanced quantum metrology protocols. In this Letter we show that they provide even larger advantages when considering multiple-interferometer setups. In particular, we demonstrate that the use of quantum correlated light beams in coupled interferometers leads to substantial advantages with respect to classical light, up to a noise-free scenario for the ideal lossless case. On the one hand, our results prompt the possibility of testing quantum gravity in experimental configurations affordable in current quantum optics laboratories and strongly improve the precision in "larger size experiments" such as the Fermilab holometer; on the other hand, they pave the way for future applications to high precision measurements and quantum metrology.

Experimental realization of quantum illumination

We present the first experimental realization of the quantum illumination protocol proposed by Lloyd [Science 321, 1463 (2008)] and S. Tan et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 253601 (2008)], achieved in a simple feasible experimental scheme based on photon-number correlations. A main achievement of our result is the demonstration of a strong robustness of the quantum protocol to noise and losses that challenges some widespread wisdom about quantum technologies.

Ancilla-assisted calibration of a measuring apparatus

A quantum measurement can be described by a set of matrices, one for each possible outcome, which represents the positive operator-valued measure (POVM) of the sensor. Efficient protocols of POVM extraction for arbitrary sensors are required. We present the first experimental POVM reconstruction that takes explicit advantage of a quantum resource, i.e., nonclassical correlations with an ancillary state. A POVM of a photon-number-resolving detector is reconstructed by using strong quantum correlations of twin beams generated by parametric down-conversion. Our reconstruction method is more statistically robust than POVM reconstruction methods that use classical input states.