The generation of oxidized phospholipids in lipoproteins has been linked to vascular inflammation in atherosclerotic lesions. Products of phospholipid oxidation increase endothelial activation; however, their effects on macrophages are poorly understood, and it is unclear whether these effects are regulated by the biochemical pathways that metabolize oxidized phospholipids. We found that incuba...

Platelet activating factor (PAF) is a potent inflammatory mediator produced by various renal cells and it is implicated in renal pathology. The aim of this study is the characterization of remodeling lyso-PAF acetyltransferase, which is activated under inflammatory conditions, in human mesangial cell. Total membranes of mesangial cells were isolated and enzymatic activity and kinetic parameters...

Lysophospholipids are important signaling molecules in animals and metazoan cells. They are widely distributed among marine invertebrates, where their physiological roles are unknown. Sea cucumbers produce unique lysophospholipids. In this study, two lysophospholipids were detected in Holothuria atra for the first time, lyso-platelet activating factor and lysophosphatidylcholine, with nuclear m...

A PET imaging system demonstrator based on LYSO crystal arrays coupled to SiPM matrices is under construction at the University and INFN of Pisa. Two SiPM matrices, composed of 8 8 SiPM pixels, and 1,5 mm pitch, have been coupled one to one to a LYSO crystals array and read out by a custom electronics system. front-end ASICs were used to read 8 channels of each matrix. Data from each frontend w...

Treatment of cultured adult human keratinocytes with platelet activating factor (PAF) resulted in a rapid, dose dependent accumulation of inositol phosphates. Inositol trisphosphate (IP ), seconds o ! inositol bisphosphate (IP,) and inositol phosphate (IP) were elevated within 15 exposure to PAF (1pM). Lyso-PAF, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lyso-PC had no effeet on levels of inositol phosphates...

Phospholipid composition of 10 Bifidobacterium strains of human intestinal origin and of 9 Lactobacillus strains was determined by quantitative two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. Phospholipids of three Bifidobacterium strains from honey bees and of two strains from bovine rumen liquor were qualitatively investigated. Diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol were present in strain...

All living organisms require a variety of essential elements for their basic biological functions. While the homeostasis of nutrients is highly intertwined, the molecular and genetic mechanisms of these dependencies remain poorly understood. Here, we report a discovery of a molecular pathway that controls phosphate (Pi) accumulation in plants under Zn deficiency. Using genome-wide association s...

A new imaging technique for α-particles using a fast optical camera focused on thin scintillator is presented. As interact in layer of LYSO scintillator, they produce localized flash light. The light collected with lens to an intensified camera, Tpx3Cam, single photon sensitivity and excellent spatial & temporal resolutions. interactions photons the reconstructed by means custom algorithm, capa...

Introduction:  In  this  study,  we  utilized  the  MCNP4C  Monte  Carlo  code  to  quantitatively  evaluate  the  influence of crystal size and material on intercrystal scatter and parallax effects.   Materials and Methods:  For each of the 5 selected crystals (BGO, LSO, LYSO, LuAP, GSO), transport of  511  keV  photons  originating  from  a  point  source  and  incident  on  the  central  cry...

The X-chromosomal-linked lysosomal storage disorder Fabry disease can lead to life-threatening manifestations. The pathological significance of the Fabry mutation D313Y is doubted, because, in general, D313Y patients do not present clinical manifestations conformable with Fabry disease. This is in contrast to the analysis of the alpha-galactosidase A activity, which is reduced in D313Y patients...