Identifying the genes required for environmental sex determination is important for understanding the evolution of diverse sex determination mechanisms in animals. Orthologs of Drosophila orphan receptor Fushi tarazu factor-1 (Ftz-F1) are known to function in genetic sex determination. In contrast, their roles in environmental sex determination remain unknown. In this study, we have cloned and ...

Lucilla de Arcangelis, Hans J. Herrmann and Carla Perrone-Capano 1 Department of Information Engineering and INFM-Coherentia, Second University of Naples, 81031 Aversa (CE), Italy 2 Institute for Computer Applications 1, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 27, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany 3 University of Catanzaro ”Magna Graecia”, Dept. of Pharmacobiology, I-88021 Roccelletta di Borgia (CZ),...

BACKGROUND Finegoldia magna (F. magna) is a rare pathogen causing infective endocarditis (IE). Only 7 cases are documented in the literature. CASE REPORT We report a case of infective endocarditis in a 45-year-old male due to F. magna 2 months after a Bentall procedure. He presented with fever, dyspnea, and chest pain. Aerobic and anaerobic blood samples were drawn before empirical antibiotic...

During their aquatic life cycle, nanoparticles are subject to environmentally driven surface modifications (e.g. agglomeration or coating) associated with aging. Although the ecotoxicological potential of nanoparticles might be affected by these processes, only limited information about the potential impact of aging is available. In this context, the present study investigated acute (96 h) and ...

Daphnia magna was acclimated for six generations to an acclimation range of 0.02 to 74 microg/L of Zn2+. This range was determined by combining physicochemical water characteristics of European surface waters with total Zn concentrations in these waters in such a way that they resulted in minimal and maximal free (i.e., assumed bioavailable) Zn ion activities. No significant differences were fo...

Cyclic parthenogens, such as the cladoceran, Daphnia magna, utilize both asexual (parthenogenetic) and sexual reproduction in order to maximize population fitness in variable environments. Parthenogenetic reproduction is the default strategy among D. magna, while various environmental cues trigger cycles of sexual reproduction. Experiments were conducted with the juvenile hormone analog methopr...

background: bisphenol-a is categorized as a toxic and refractory organic matter. ultrasonic process considered as an effective method for degradation of refractory organic matters in the environment which is achieved by the production of fine bubbles through cavitation process. this study is conducted for assessment of the toxicity of effluents containing bisphenol-a which was treated by ultras...

Endogenous vasopressin may interact with central autonomic nervous system factors in the regulation of cardiovascular function. In 25 morphine/chloralose-anesthetized dogs, we studied the magnitude of the pressor response produced by an infusion of angiotensin II (AII) into the vertebral arteries (VA), before and after intracisternal (n = 10), intravertebral (n = 9), or intravenous (n = 6) admi...

Pili have only been discovered in the major Gram-positive pathogens in the past decade and they have been found to play an important role in colonisation and virulence. Pili have been shown to have many important functions including attachment to host tissues, mediating bacterial aggregation, biofilm formation and binding to proteins in the extracellular matrix. In this study, sortase-dependent...

Concerns about the possible ecotoxicological implications of nano-sized plastic materials in freshwater environment are growing with increasing use materials. The present study focuses on behavior and effects amidine-functionalized polystyrene (NPLs) 20, 40, 60, 100-nm-size freshwaters different synthetic media. Daphnia magna was exposed to concentrations from 0.5 30 mg/L (and 100 for 100-nm-si...