| 1. |
- Candiani, Alessandro, et al.
(författare)
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Microstructured optical fiber Bragg grating sensor for DNA detection
- 2013
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Ingår i: Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE. - : SPIE. - 9780819493453
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work the inner surface of a microstructured optical fiber, where a Bragg grating was previously inscribed, has been functionalized using peptide nucleic acid probe targeting a DNA sequence of the cystic fibrosis disease. The solution of DNA molecules, matched with the PNA probes, has been infiltrated inside the fiber capillaries and hybridization has been realized according to the Watson - Crick Model. In order to achieve signal amplification, oligonucleotide-functionalized gold nanoparticles were then infiltrated and used to form a sandwich-like system. Experimental measurements show a clear wavelength shift of the reflected high order mode for a 100 nM DNA solution. Several experiments have been carried out on the same fiber using the identical concentration, showing the same modulation and proving a good reproducibility of the results, suggesting the possibility of the reuse of the sensor. Measurements have been also made using a 100 nM mis-matched DNA solution, containing a single nucleotide polymorphism, demonstrating the high selectivity of the sensor.
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| 2. |
- Marchese, Elisa, et al.
(författare)
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The neuroprotective effects of 17β-estradiol pretreatment in a model of neonatal hippocampal injury induced by trimethyltin
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1662-5102. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hippocampal dysfunction plays a central role in neurodevelopmental disorders, resulting in severe impairment of cognitive abilities, including memory and learning. On this basis, developmental studies represent an important tool both to understanding the cellular and molecular phenomena underlying early hippocampal damage and to study possible therapeutic interventions, that may modify the progression of neuronal death. Given the modulatory role played by 17β-estradiol (E2) on hippocampal functions and its neuroprotective properties, the present study investigates the effects of pretreatment with E2 in a model of neonatal hippocampal injury obtained by trimethyltin (TMT) administration, characterized by neuronal loss in CA1 and CA3 subfields and astroglial and microglial activation. At post-natal days (P)5 and P6 animals received E2 administration (0.2 mg/kg/die i.p.) or vehicle. At P7 they received a single dose of TMT (6.5 mg/kg i.p.) and were sacrificed 72 h (P10) or 7 days after TMT treatment (P14). Our findings indicate that pretreatment with E2 exerts a protective effect against hippocampal damage induced by TMT administration early in development, reducing the extent of neuronal death in the CA1 subfield, inducing the activation of genes involved in neuroprotection, lowering the neuroinflammatory response and restoring neuropeptide Y- and parvalbumin- expression, which is impaired in the early phases of TMT-induced damage. Our data support the efficacy of estrogen-based neuroprotective approaches to counteract early occurring hippocampal damage in the developing hippocampus.
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| 3. |
- Sighel, Denise, et al.
(författare)
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Inhibition of mitochondrial translation suppresses glioblastoma stem cell growth
- 2021
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Ingår i: Cell Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-1247. ; 35:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) resist current glioblastoma (GBM) therapies. GSCs rely highly on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), whose function requires mitochondrial translation. Here we explore the therapeutic potential of targeting mitochondrial translation and report the results of high-content screening with putative blockers of mitochondrial ribosomes. We identify the bacterial antibiotic quinupristin/dalfopristin (Q/D) as an effective suppressor of GSC growth. Q/D also decreases the clonogenicity of GSCs in vitro, consequently dysregulating the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. Cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) reveals that Q/D binds to the large mitoribosomal subunit, inhibiting mitochondrial protein synthesis and functionally dysregulating OXPHOS complexes. These data suggest that targeting mitochondrial translation could be explored to therapeutically suppress GSC growth in GBM and that Q/D could potentially be repurposed for cancer treatment.
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| 4. |
- Spagnolo, Giancarlo, et al.
(författare)
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Banking Competition in Europe: Competition Authorities at Work in the Wake of the Financial Crisis
- 2010
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Ingår i: World Competition. - : Kluwer Law International. - 1011-4548. ; 33:4, s. 615-642
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the financial intermediation industry, competition issues interact with those concerned with stability, as the current crisis unfortunately reminded us. This paper discusses and summarizes recent inquiries into retail banking undertaken by the European Commission and various National Competition Authorities, commenting on the methodologies and perspectives that these institutions have used to analyse competition in a sector that was, for a long time, considered ‘special’. While the identified competitive problems and solutions closely match those highlighted by academic research, too little attention still appears to be given to risk considerations, which would allow competition authorities to counter the likely forthcoming attacks that will again be aimed at isolating the financial industry from appropriate competitive checks.
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