University of Naples Federico II

About: University of Naples Federico II is a education organization based out in Naples, Campania, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 29291 authors who have published 68803 publications receiving 1920149 citations. The organization is also known as: Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II & Naples University.

MicroRNA-223 controls susceptibility to tuberculosis by regulating lung neutrophil recruitment.

Abstract: The molecular mechanisms that control innate immune cell trafficking during chronic infection and inflammation, such as in tuberculosis (TB), are incompletely understood. During active TB, myeloid cells infiltrate the lung and sustain local inflammation. While the chemoattractants that orchestrate these processes are increasingly recognized, the posttranscriptional events that dictate their availability are unclear. We identified microRNA-223 (miR-223) as an upregulated small noncoding RNA in blood and lung parenchyma of TB patients and during murine TB. Deletion of miR-223 rendered TB-resistant mice highly susceptible to acute lung infection. The lethality of miR-223–/– mice was apparently not due to defects in antimycobacterial T cell responses. Exacerbated TB in miR-223–/– animals could be partially reversed by neutralization of CXCL2, CCL3, and IL-6, by mAb depletion of neutrophils, and by genetic deletion of Cxcr2. We found that miR-223 controlled lung recruitment of myeloid cells, and consequently, neutrophil-driven lethal inflammation. We conclude that miR-223 directly targets the chemoattractants CXCL2, CCL3, and IL-6 in myeloid cells. Our study not only reveals an essential role for a single miRNA in TB, it also identifies new targets for, and assigns biological functions to, miR-223. By regulating leukocyte chemotaxis via chemoattractants, miR-223 is critical for the control of TB and potentially other chronic inflammatory diseases.

Search for dark matter candidates and large extra dimensions in events with a jet and missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector

Abstract: A search for new phenomena in events with a high-energy jet and large missing transverse momentum is performed using data from proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the Large flatiron Collider. Four kinematic regions are explored using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb(-1). No excess of events beyond expectations from Standard Model processes is observed, and limits are set on large extra dimensions and the pair production of dark matter particles.

The Genoa 2005 outbreak. Determination of putative palytoxin in Mediterranean Ostreopsis ovata by a new liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method.

Abstract: A new method for sensitive, specific, and direct determination of palytoxin is proposed herein. It is based on combination of reversed-phase liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The new method was set up on a turbo ion spray-triple quadrupole MS instrument operating in selected ion monitoring (SIM) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) acquisition modes (positive ions). The minimum detection levels for matrix-free toxin on column were thus estimated from the data to be 200 and 125 pg in SIM and MRM modes, respectively. Spiking experiments before and after extraction allowed us to assess limits of detection and quantitation for palytoxin in matrix, accuracy, and intraday and interday reproducibility of the method. The developed method was decisive for the analysis of a plankton sample collected along Genoa coasts in July 2005 when respiratory illness in people exposed to marine aerosols occurred. It is suggested that putative palytoxin was the causative agent responsible for patients' symptoms and demonstrated for the first time the presence of such a toxin in Italian waters.

The Spice Sage and Its Active Ingredient Rosmarinic Acid Protect PC12 Cells from Amyloid-β Peptide-Induced Neurotoxicity

Abstract: Traditional use and clinical reports suggest that the culinary herb sage (Salvia officinalis) may be effective for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we evaluated the effect of a standardized extract from the leaves of S. officinalis (SOE) and its active ingredient rosmarinic acid on Alzheimer amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta)-induced toxicity in cultured rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Incubation of PC12 cells with Abeta (fragment 1-42) for 24 h caused cell death, and this effect was reduced by SOE and its active ingredient, rosmarinic acid. Rosmarinic acid reduced a number of events induced by Abeta. These include reactive oxygen species formation, lipid peroxidation, DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 activation, and tau protein hyperphosphorylation. Moreover, rosmarinic acid inhibited phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase but not glycogen synthase kinase 3beta activation. These data show the neuroprotective effect of sage against Abeta-induced toxicity, which could validate the traditional use of this spice in the treatment of AD. Rosmarinic acid could contribute, at least in part, for sage-induced neuroprotective effect.