microscopy

Nanoscale mechanics of brain abscess: An atomic force microscopy study

Mechanical stimuli are a fundamental player in the pathophysiology of the brain influencing its physiological development and contributing to the onset and progression of many diseases. In some pathological states, the involvement of mechanical and physical stimuli might be extremely subtle; in others, it is more evident and particularly relevant.

Frataxin deficiency induces lipid accumulation and affects thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue

Decreased expression of mitochondrial frataxin (FXN) causes Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA), a neurodegenerative disease with type 2 diabetes (T2D) as severe comorbidity. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a mitochondria-enriched and anti-diabetic tissue that turns excess energy into heat to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Here we report that the FXN knock-in/knock-out (KIKO) mouse shows hyperlipidemia, reduced energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity, and elevated plasma leptin, recapitulating T2D-like signatures.

Evidences of copper nanoparticle exposure in indoor environments: Long-term assessment, high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy evaluation, in silico respiratory dosimetry study and possible health implications

A variety of appliances operated by brush electric motors, widely used in indoor environments, emit nanoparticles (NPs). Due to electric arc discharge during the operation of such motors, some NPs contain copper (Cu). Their dimensions are the same of those found in brain tissue samples by other authors who speculated their possible translocation to brain through olfactory bulb. Cu has been reported to play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Thus, the present study was performed to 1.

Integrity of the human centromere DNA repeats is protected by CENP-A, CENP-C, and CENP-T

Centromeres are highly specialized chromatin domains that enable chromosome segregation and orchestrate faithful cell division. Human centromeres are composed of tandem arrays of ?-satellite DNA, which spans up to several megabases. Little is known about the mechanisms that maintain integrity of the long arrays of ?-satellite DNA repeats. Here, we monitored centromeric repeat stability in human cells using chromosome-orientation fluorescent in situ hybridization (CO-FISH).

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