DNA Methylation Signatures of Bone Metabolism in Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis Aging-Related Diseases: An Updated Review

DNA methylation is one of the most studied epigenetic mechanisms that play a pivotal role in regulating gene expression. The epigenetic component is strongly involved in aging-bone diseases, such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Both are complex multi-factorial late-onset disorders that represent a globally widespread health problem, highlighting a crucial point of investigations in many scientific studies. In recent years, new findings on the role of DNA methylation in the pathogenesis of aging-bone diseases have emerged. The aim of this systematic review is to update knowledge in the field of DNA methylation associated with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, focusing on the specific tissues involved in both pathological conditions.     

Plant Copper Amine Oxidases: Key Players in Hormone Signaling Leading to Stress-Induced Phenotypic Plasticity

Polyamines are ubiquitous, low-molecular-weight aliphatic compounds, present in living organisms and essential for cell growth and differentiation. Copper amine oxidases (CuAOs) oxidize polyamines to aminoaldehydes releasing ammonium and hydrogen peroxide, which participates in the complex network of reactive oxygen species acting as signaling molecules involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. CuAOs have been identified and characterized in different plant species, but the most extensive study on a CuAO gene family has been carried out in Arabidopsis thaliana. Growing attention has been devoted in the last years to the investigation of the CuAO expression pattern during development and in response to an array of stress and stress-related hormones, events in which recent studies have highlighted CuAOs to play a key role by modulation of a multilevel phenotypic plasticity expression. In this review, the attention will be focused on the involvement of different AtCuAOs in the IAA/JA/ABA signal transduction pathways which mediate stress-induced phenotypic plasticity events.     

Essential (Mg,Fe, Zn and Cu) and Non-Essential (Cd and Pb) Elements in Predatory Insects (Vespa crabro and Vespa velutina): A Molecular Perspective

The recent introduction of the Asian yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina, into Europe has raised concern regarding the threat to honeybees and the competition with the European hornet, Vespa crabro. The aim of this study was to investigated essential (Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu) and non-essential (Cd and Pb) elements in these two species. Element concentrations were determined in the whole body and separately in the head, thorax and abdomen using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The changes in essential element concentration and speciation during metamorphosis were also studied using size exclusion chromatography followed by AAS and proteomic analysis. In both species, the essential elements were more concentrated in the abdomen due to the presence of fat bodies. Magnesium, Fe and Zn concentrations were significantly higher in V. crabro than in V. velutina and could have been related to the higher aerobic energy demand of the former species required to sustain foraging flight. Low concentrations of Cd and Pb were indicative of low environmental exposure. The concentration and speciation of essential elements, particularly Fe, varied among the developmental stages, indicating a modification of ligand preferences during metamorphosis. Overall, the results in the present study provide a better understanding of the hornet metal metabolism and a foundation for additional studies.     

Update on the Diagnostic Pitfalls of Autopsy and Post-Mortem Genetic Testing in Cardiomyopathies

Inherited cardiomyopathies are frequent causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD), especially in young patients. Despite at the autopsy they usually have distinctive microscopic and/or macroscopic diagnostic features, their phenotypes may be mild or ambiguous, possibly leading to misdiagnoses or missed diagnoses. In this review, the main differential diagnoses of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (e.g., athlete’s heart, idiopathic left ventricular hypertrophy), arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (e.g., adipositas cordis, myocarditis) and dilated cardiomyopathy (e.g., acquired forms of dilated cardiomyopathy, left ventricular noncompaction) are discussed. Moreover, the diagnostic issues in SCD victims affected by phenotype-negative hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the relationship between myocardial bridging and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are analyzed. Finally, the applications/limits of virtopsy and post-mortem genetic testing in this field are discussed, with particular attention to the issues related to the assessment of the significance of the genetic variants.     

The circular economy of agro and post-consumer residues as raw materials for sustainable ceramics

The circular economy in the area of waste management implies their re-use as a raw material in different production cycles. Both the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the residues from the agro sector and those of the products of the ceramics sector make possible to think of a feasible application. This review will illustrate some examples of recycling of residues deriving from animal and vegetable sectors (and two post consume products, spent coffee grounds, and packaging glass cullet), studied by the authors, falling within the concept of urban and agricultural sustainable development. Not only the most traditional products such as glass-ceramics, glazes, bricks, but also the most innovative lightweight aggregates for plant structures or in and out soil cultivation, as well as additives such as deflocculants for ceramic suspensions, which will be illustrated from the design/production, characterization, and comparison with commercial products.     

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Sewage Sludge: Analysis of Process Severity and Solid Content

Hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge was carried out with the aim to evaluate the influence of process severity and initial solid content. Response surface methodology was applied to model yield and C yield responses. Enhanced dewaterability performance was recorded under mild processing conditions. The treatment promoted concentration and immobilization of Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, and Cu. Variation of the solid content showed a stronger influence than severity on average yield and C yield. Higher heating values (HHVs) and energy retention efficiencies (EREs) of hydrochars obtained at the lowest solid content displayed the lowest values. Hence, the energy requirements of a first dewatering step should be compared with the related improvement in terms of HHV and ERE when sludge is used as feedstock.     

Thermal behavior and structural study of ZrO2/poly(ε-caprolactone) hybrids synthesized via sol-gel route

The thermal behavior of pure ZrO₂ and four ZrO₂-based organic-inorganic hybrids (OIHs) containing increasing amount (6, 12, 24 and 50?wt%) of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) (named Z, ZP6, ZP12, ZP24 and ZP50 respectively) has been studied by simultaneous thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The FTIR analysis of the gas mixture evolved at defined temperatures from the samples submitted to the TG experiments identified the mechanism of each thermally activated process. The obtained results suggest that the inorganic matrix of the OIHs prepared by this method exerts a stabilizing effect on the polymer, in particular for poor-PCL hybrid materials. In fact, the different thermal behavior of the ZP50 sample suggests that the polymer is not entirely bonded to the -OH groups of the zirconia matrix due to their saturation. For this reason a part of PCL is not affected by the stabilizing effect of the matrix and is subjected to thermal degradation. Finally, by observing their thermal behavior it was possible to select the most suitable temperatures for thermal pretreatment: 400, 600 and 1000?°C. The structural analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that at 400?°C the materials are amorphous, while at 600?°C they are mostly tetragonal, and the content of the tetragonal phase decreases with increasing the amount of PCL in the OIHs. All the materials treated at 1000?°C are monoclinic, but their crystallinity decreases with increasing the PCL content.