Next-generation of instrumental odour monitoring system (IOMS) for the gaseous emissions control in complex industrial plants

Odour emissions from complex industrial plants may cause potential impacts on the surrounding areas. Consequently, the validation of effective tools for the control of the associated environmental pressures, without hindering economic growth, is strongly needed. Nowadays, senso-instrumental methods by using Instrumental Odour Emissions Systems (IOMSs) is among the most attractive tool for the continuous monitoring of environmental odours, allowing the possibility of obtaining real-time information to support the decision-making process and proactive approach. The systems complexity and scarcity of real data limited their wider full-scale employment. The study presents an advanced prototype of IOMS for the continuous classification and quantification of the odours emitted in ambient air by complex industrial plants, to continuously control the plants emissions with backwards approach. The IOMS device was designed and optimized and included the system for the automatic control of the conditions inside the measurement chamber. The designed operational procedures were presented and discussed. Results highlighted the influence of temperature and air flow rate for the measurement repeatability. Accurate prediction model was created and optimized and resulted able to distinguish 3 different industrial odour sources with accuracy approximately equal to 96%. The models were optimized thanks to the software features, which allowed to automatically apply the designed statistical procedures on the identified dataset with different pre-processing approach. The usefulness of having a fully-developed and user-friendly flexible system that allowed to select and automatically compare different settings options, including the different feature extraction methods, was demonstrated in order to identify the best prediction model.

Neuropilin-1 Controls Endothelial Homeostasis by Regulating Mitochondrial Function and Iron-Dependent Oxidative Stress

The transmembrane protein neuropilin-1 (NRP1) promotes vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and extracellular matrix signaling in endothelial cells (ECs). Although it is established that NRP1 is essential for angiogenesis, little is known about its role in EC homeostasis. Here, we report that NRP1 promotes mitochondrial function in ECs by preventing iron accumulation and iron-induced oxidative stress through a VEGF-independent mechanism in non-angiogenic ECs. Furthermore, NRP1-deficient ECs have reduced growth and show the hallmarks of cellular senescence. We show that a subcellular pool of NRP1 localizes in mitochondria and interacts with the mitochondrial transporter ATP-binding cassette B8 (ABCB8). NRP1 loss reduces ABCB8 levels, resulting in iron accumulation, iron-induced mitochondrial superoxide production, and iron-dependent EC senescence. Treatment of NRP1-deficient ECs with the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant compound mitoTEMPO or with the iron chelator deferoxamine restores mitochondrial activity, inhibits superoxide production, and protects from cellular senescence. This finding identifies an unexpected role of NRP1 in EC homeostasis.

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A subcellular pool of NRP1 localizes in the mitochondria of endothelial cells (ECs)

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NRP1 regulates mitochondrial function via ABCB8 transporter

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NRP1 loss induces iron accumulation and iron-dependent oxidative stress in ECs

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NRP1 protects ECs from iron-dependent premature cellular senescence

VEGF165-induced vascular permeability requires NRP1 for ABL-mediated SRC family kinase activation

Fantin et al. show that the VEGF isoform VEGF165 signals through a complex of VEGFR2 and NRP1, in which the NRP1 cytoplasmic domain promotes the ABL-mediated activation of SRC family kinases to evoke a hyperpermeability response, a known cause of pathological edema.

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) isoform VEGF165 stimulates vascular growth and hyperpermeability. Whereas blood vessel growth is essential to sustain organ health, chronic hyperpermeability causes damaging tissue edema. By combining in vivo and tissue culture models, we show here that VEGF165-induced vascular leakage requires both VEGFR2 and NRP1, including the VEGF164-binding site of NRP1 and the NRP1 cytoplasmic domain (NCD), but not the known NCD interactor GIPC1. In the VEGF165-bound receptor complex, the NCD promotes ABL kinase activation, which in turn is required to activate VEGFR2-recruited SRC family kinases (SFKs). These results elucidate the receptor complex and signaling hierarchy of downstream kinases that transduce the permeability response to VEGF165. In a mouse model with choroidal neovascularisation akin to age-related macular degeneration, NCD loss attenuated vessel leakage without affecting neovascularisation. These findings raise the possibility that targeting NRP1 or its NCD interactors may be a useful therapeutic strategy in neovascular disease to reduce VEGF165-induced edema without compromising vessel growth.

NRP1 Regulates CDC42 Activation to Promote Filopodia Formation in Endothelial Tip Cells

Sprouting blood vessels are led by filopodia-studded endothelial tip cells that respond to angiogenic signals. Mosaic lineage tracing previously revealed that NRP1 is essential for tip cell function, although its mechanistic role in tip cells remains poorly defined. Here, we show that NRP1 is dispensable for genetic tip cell identity. Instead, we find that NRP1 is essential to form the filopodial bursts that distinguish tip cells morphologically from neighboring stalk cells, because it enables the extracellular matrix (ECM)-induced activation of CDC42, a key regulator of filopodia formation. Accordingly, NRP1 knockdown and pharmacological CDC42 inhibition similarly impaired filopodia formation in vitro and in developing zebrafish in vivo. During mouse retinal angiogenesis, CDC42 inhibition impaired tip cell and vascular network formation, causing defects that resembled those due to loss of ECM-induced, but not VEGF-induced, NRP1 signaling. We conclude that NRP1 enables ECM-induced filopodia formation for tip cell function during sprouting angiogenesis.

p63 is an alternative p53 repressor in melanoma that confers chemoresistance and a poor prognosis

p63 is up-regulated in melanoma and prevents nuclear accumulation of p53.

The role of apoptosis in melanoma pathogenesis and chemoresistance is poorly characterized. Mutations in TP53 occur infrequently, yet the TP53 apoptotic pathway is often abrogated. This may result from alterations in TP53 family members, including the TP53 homologue TP63. Here we demonstrate that TP63 has an antiapoptotic role in melanoma and is responsible for mediating chemoresistance. Although p63 was not expressed in primary melanocytes, up-regulation of p63 mRNA and protein was observed in melanoma cell lines and clinical samples, providing the first evidence of significant p63 expression in this lineage. Upon genotoxic stress, endogenous p63 isoforms were stabilized in both nuclear and mitochondrial subcellular compartments. Our data provide evidence of a physiological interaction between p63 with p53 whereby translocation of p63 to the mitochondria occurred through a codependent process with p53, whereas accumulation of p53 in the nucleus was prevented by p63. Using RNA interference technology, both isoforms of p63 (TA and ΔNp63) were demonstrated to confer chemoresistance, revealing a novel oncogenic role for p63 in melanoma cells. Furthermore, expression of p63 in both primary and metastatic melanoma clinical samples significantly correlated with melanoma-specific deaths in these patients. Ultimately, these observations provide a possible explanation for abrogation of the p53-mediated apoptotic pathway in melanoma, implicating novel approaches aimed at sensitizing melanoma to therapeutic agents.

Retinoylation reactions are inversely related to the cardiolipin level in testes mitochondria from hypothyroid rats

The effect of hypothyroidism, induced by 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) administration to rats, on the retinoylation reaction and oxidative status was investigated in rat-testes mitochondria. In hypothyroid mitochondria, when compared to euthyroid controls, we found a noticeable increase in the amount of all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA) bound to mitochondrial proteins by an acylation process (34.2 +/- 1.9 pmoles atRA/mg protein/360 min and 22.2 +/- 1.7 pmoles atRA/mg protein/360 min, respectively). This increase, which was time- and temperature-dependent, was accompanied by a strong reduction in the cardiolipin (CL) amount in the mitochondrial membranes of hypothyroid (2.6 +/- 0.2%) as compared to euthyroid rats (4.5 +/- 0.5%) Conversely, a decreased retinoylation reaction was observed when CL liposomes were added to mitochondria or mitoplasts from both euthyroid and hypothyroid rats, thus confirming a role of CL in the retinoylation process. In mitochondria from the latter animals an increase of the level of oxidized CL occurred. The ATP level, which was reduced in hypothyroid mitochondria (27.3 +/- 4.1 pmoles ATP/mg protein versus 67.1 +/- 8.3 pmoles ATP/mg protein of euthyroid animals), was surprisingly increased in mitochondria by the retinoylation reaction in the presence of 100 nM atRA (481.5 +/- 19.3 pmoles ATP/mg protein of hypothyroid animals versus 84.7 +/- 7.7 pmoles ATP/mg protein of euthyroid animals). Overall, in hypothyroid rat-testes mitochondria the increase in retinoylation activity correlates with a significant depletion of the CL level, due to a peroxidation of this lipid. In addition, an enhanced production of reactive oxygen species was observed.

Adrenal glands and testes as steroidogenic tissue are affected by retinoylation reaction

This study was undertaken to better understand the physiological role of the retinoylation process in steroidogenic tissues. In adrenal gland mitochondria, the retinoylation extent was found equal to that of testes mitochondria but without ATP in the incubation buffer. We pointed out that the endogenous mitochondrial ATP in adrenal glands is much higher than in testes, about 1.3 x 10(-2) M and 5.2 x 10(-8) M, respectively. In addition, less CoASH is required for the maximal acylation activity of the retinoyl moiety to protein(s) compared to testes. The fatty acid analysis revealed a different composition of mitochondrial membranes of these two tissues. Among the different values of fatty acids, it is important to note that adrenal glands contain a much higher amount of C18:0 and a much lower amount of C22:5 omega6 and C22:6 omega3 than testes in the mitochondrial membranes. In addition, there were also differences in arachidonic acid (ARA, C20:4 omega6) content between adrenal glands and testes mitochondria. These different values in the fatty acids composition should explain the different extent of the retinoylation process between the two organs.

Synthesized esters of ferulic acid induce release of cytochrome c from rat testes mitochondria

Ferulic acid plays a chemopreventive role in cancer by inducing tumor cells apoptosis. As mitochondria play a key role in the induction of apoptosis in many cells types, here we investigate the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) and the release of cytochrome c induced by ferulic acid and its esters in rat testes mitochondria, in TM-3 and MLTC-1 cells. While ferulic acid, but not its esters, induced MPT and cytochrome c release in rat testes isolated mitochondria, in TM-3 cells we found that both ferulic acid and its esters induced cytochrome c release from mitochondria in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting a potential target of these compounds in the induction of cell apoptosis. The apoptosis induced by ferulic acid is therefore associated with the mitochondrial pathway involving cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation.

Dietary fatty acid composition differently influences retinoylation reaction in rat testes mitochondria

All-trans-retinoic acid (atRA) is incorporated covalently into proteins of rat testes mitochondria. In this study, the effect of three diets with different fatty acid composition on the retinoylation of proteins of rat testes mitochondria has been investigated. Different groups of rats were fed on a basal diet supplemented with 15% of either coconut oil (CO), olive oil (OO) or fish oil (FO). We found that, when compared with CO, the binding of retinoic acid was decreased in FO- and OO-fed rats. Mitochondrial phospholipids composition was differently influenced by dietary treatments; minor changes were observed in fatty acid composition of phospholipids. Few differences were observed in the Arrhenius plots among the three groups of rats. Kinetic analysis revealed a decrease in the V (max) value in FO- and OO- as compared with CO-fed rats. No difference among the three groups were observed in the K ( M ) value. The retinoylation reaction was inhibited by 13-cis-RA and 9-cis-RA.

Binding of all-trans-retinoic acid to MLTC-1 proteins

The covalent incorporation of [(3)H]all-trans-retinoic acid into proteins has been studied in tumoural Leydig (MLTC-1) cells. The maximum retinoylation activity of MLTC-1 cell proteins was 710+/-29 mean+/-SD) fmoles/8 x 10(4) cells at 37 degrees C. About 90% of [(3)H]retinoic acid was trichloroacetic acid-soluble after proteinase-K digestion and about 65--75% after hydrolysis with hydroxylamine. Thus, retinoic acid is most probably linked to proteins as a thiol ester. The retinoylation reaction was inhibited by 13-cis-retinoic acid and 9-cis-retinoic acid with IC(50) values of 0.9 microM and 0.65 microM, respectively. Retinoylation was not inhibited by high concentrations of palmitic or myristic acids (250 microM); but there was an increase of the binding activity of about 25% and 130%, respectively. On the other hand, the retinoylation reaction was inhibited (about 40%) by 250 microM lauric acid. After pre-incubation of the cells with different concentrations of unlabeled RA, the retinoylation reaction with 100 nM [(3)H]RA involved first an increase at 100 nM RA and then a decrease of retinoylation activity between 200 and 600 nM RA. After cycloheximide treatment of the tumoural Leydig cells the binding activity of [(3)H]RA was about the same as that in the control, suggesting that the bond occurred on proteins in pre-existing cells.

An inventory to assess psychopathology of mentally retarded adults

An inventory of psychopathology (self-report and informant versions) was developed for mentally retarded adults. The inventory was administered to 110 retarded adults from institutional (n = 59) and community (n = 51) settings. Data indicated that both versions of the instrument showed acceptable levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. In addition, the correlations between self-report and informant versions were low but significant for selected symptom clusters. To provide preliminary evidence regarding the clinical utility of the measure, we examined the relationship of diagnosis of depression (based on informant ratings) to other measures of psychopathology. The diagnosis of depression on the informant version of the inventory corresponded to other self-report and clinical ratings of dysfunction. The feasibility of this instrument in identifying psychopathology among retarded persons and its future use as a screening instrument for additional psychiatric evaluation were discussed.

Diagnosis and drug use in mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed adults

Inpatient and outpatient, emotionally disturbed, borderline to severely mentally retarded adults (N = 110) were assessed to evaluate the relationship of medication to psychiatric diagnosis and symptomatology. Patients were assessed on the Psychiatric Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and the Social Performance Survey Schedule--a measure of social adaptation. All these instruments had been modified for use with mentally retarded persons. Comparisons were made evaluating patients receiving major tranquilizers, anticonvulsant and antianxiety drugs, by diagnostic category. Furthermore, an assessment was made of inpatients versus outpatients, based on amount of medication prescribed. It was found that considerable variation in the numbers of drugs and the amount of drug used occurred, based on the type of psychiatric condition, particularly those on informant data on schizophrenia, affective disorder, and adjustment reaction disorder. Implications of these and related results for psychotropic drug use with mentally retarded emotionally disturbed persons are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the psychopathology instrument for mentally retarded adults

One hundred and ten adults, from borderline to severe levels of mental retardation, were assessed through the outpatient clinic of a university-affiliated mental health center and a large state psychiatric hospital. These patients were included only after they had demonstrated the ability to respond to questions of similar difficulty to those presented in the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults. This measure was designed by the authors based on DSM III criteria, and covered seven types of psychopathology including schizophrenia, depression, psychosexual disorders, adjustment disorder, anxiety, somatoform disorders, and personality problems. In the present study the psychometric properties of the scale were reviewed and/or evaluated including internal consistency of items and test-retest reliability, and factor analysis.

Assessment of depression in mentally retarded adults

Depression and psychopathology were assessed in 110 adult patients (ages 18-71 years) classified as borderline, mildly, moderately, or severely mentally retarded. Patients completed modified versions of the Beck Depression Inventory, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, the MMPI depression scale, the Thematic Apperception Test, and the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults. Clinicians and ward personnel rated the patients on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and an informant version of the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults. The measures correlated significantly with each other and were consistently related to the diagnosis of depression.

Verbal behaviors in depressed and nondepressed mentally retarded persons

Thirty depressed and 30 nondepressed mentally retarded adults were selected from an initial pool of 110 patients seen at either inpatient or outpatient psychiatric settings in western Pennsylvania. These two groups were compared on each of 14 operationally defined behaviors in an analogue interview setting. Despite the fact that these behaviors are typically considered to characterize depression, no difference was found between the depressed and nondepressed groups. A discussion of the possibilities for these results is made.

Development of a rating scale to assess social skill deficits in mentally retarded adults

In the current study, two experiments were conducted to establish the reliability of a scale developed with persons of normal intelligence for the assessment of social skill deficits and excesses of the mentally retarded. The experiment was divided into two studies. The first was aimed at establishing which of the 100 items could be accurately rated by having pairs of staff independently score 22 mild and moderately retarded adults who were outpatients at a local community mental health center. A correlation of r = .30 was established as a minimum cut off for reliability. With this criterion, 57 items were selected from the scale for further testing. In the second study, 207 different patients from the same outpatient clinic, from the mental retardation center of a nearby state psychiatric hospital and from Champaign, Illinois, were assessed on the 57-item Social Performance Survey Schedule. A factor analysis was then run and four subscales of the assessment instrument were established. Implications of the findings are discussed.