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Additive association of blood group A allele with 15 cardiometabolic diseases: a UK Biobank life-course study
Get PDFBackground: Although existing studies have reported associations between blood group A and cardiometabolic diseases (CMD), most have focused on dominant inheritance models. However, genome-wide association studies have mostly been based on additive genotypes. This study aims to investigate the association between the blood group A allele and 15 CMD using recessive, dominant, and additive models and identify potential mediators. Methods: This study leveraged data from over 320,000 participants with O and A blood groups in the UK Biobank to investigate the association between blood group A allele and 15 major CMD under recessive, dominant, and gene dosage (additive) models. Protein data from nearly 30,000 participants were used to analyze the association between ABO protein levels and CMD. Mediation analysis further explored whether blood cell count traits and blood biochemistry mediate the association between the number of A allele and CMD. Results: The additive model demonstrates a dose–response association of the blood group A allele with venous thromboembolism (VTE), myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke (IS), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and heart failure (HF), among others. Each additional A allele increased disease risk, particularly for VTE (HR = 1.273, P[FDR] = 4.43 × 10−96). ABO protein levels also correlated with five CMD outcomes, particularly VTE and coronary artery disease (CAD). Mediation analyses revealed that blood cell traits (e.g., hemoglobin, hematocrit) and biochemistries (e.g., aspartate aminotransferase to alanine aminotransferase ratio, apolipoprotein B) significantly mediated the associations for specific CMD, suggesting shared biological mechanisms. Conclusions: Our findings reveal that blood group A allele is associated with an increased risk of multiple CMD, particularly under the additive model. Some blood cell count traits and blood biochemistries play significant mediating roles
Exploring the anticancer potential of Dianthus orientalis in pancreatic cancer: A molecular and cellular study
No full textPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies, characterized by limited therapeutic options and poor prognosis. This study investigated the anticancer effects of Dianthus orientalis extracts on pancreatic cancer cell lines (Panc-1 and BxPC-3) with a focus on apoptosis, invasion, and metastasis-related pathways. Chemical analysis using HPLC-MS/MS identified bioactive compounds (vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, quercetin, hyperoxide) known for their anticancer properties. The Inhibitory Concentration 50 (IC50) value, which is half maximal inhibitory concentration of cancer cells, was determined to be 250 μg/mL at 48 h, and significantly induced apoptosis by decreasing anti-apoptotic gene expressions (Bcl-XL and Bcl-2) and increasing pro-apoptotic gene expressions (Casp3 and Bax) particularly in the Panc-1 cell line. Flow cytometric analysis revealed approximately 55% apoptosis in both cell lines. Molecular docking and dynamics analyses demonstrated strong binding affinities of quercetin and hyperoxide with important cancer-related proteins, including CHEK2 and PALB2. Gene expression analysis demonstrated the upregulation of pro-apoptotic markers like Bax and Casp3, and selective modulation of metastasis-related genes such as SNAI1, PALB2, and CHEK2. The findings highlight the potential of D. orientalis to modulate DNA repair mechanisms and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathways. Furthermore, network pharmacology and in silico tools corroborated its interactions with critical signaling pathways in cancer progression, including PI3K-Akt and MAPK. The study provides the first comprehensive evidence of D. orientalis's antiproliferative through apoptosis induction on pancreatic cancer cell lines, laying the groundwork for future therapeutic applications
Quality and Microbial Changes in Omega-3-Enriched Rabbit Meat Packaged with an Active Absorbent Pad in MAP
Get PDFThis study evaluated the efficacy of an active absorbent pad (aPAD) in reducing microbial growth and enhancing the shelf life of rabbit meat stored in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Thigh muscles from 60 rabbits were used, divided into three dietary groups: a control group (CNT), a group supplemented with 5% extruded flaxseed (ELS5%), and a group with 3.5% extruded flaxseed and 0.2% Padina pavonica algae (LPP3.5%). Samples were packaged in MAP (70% O2, 30% CO2) with either a conventional pad (nPAD) or aPAD and analyzed at 1, 4, 7, 14, 21 days. Microbiological analysis revealed a significantly lower total viable count at 21 days in the ELS5%aPAD group. For coagulase-positive staphylococci, the CNTaPAD group showed lower microbial counts at both day 4 and day 21 (p < 0.05). Enterobacteriaceae reductions were observed at 24 h post packaging in both the CNTaPAD and LPP3.5%aPAD groups and at day 14 in ELS5%aPAD. Lipid oxidation (TBARS) was also lower in aPAD samples, particularly in LPP3.5%, which remained below 1.5 mg MDA/kg compared to >2.5 mg MDA/kg in nPAD (p < 0.05). Sensory attributes such as texture and color were better preserved with aPAD. These findings underscore the effectiveness of aPAD in MAP to control microbial growth, limit oxidation, and extend the shelf life of omega-3-enriched rabbit meat, providing a promising solution for functional meat product preservation
Design for ecological and social survival. Connecting and sharing playful spaces and experiences for a better life.
No full textThe article presents an innovative education experience carried out in the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Camerino. Through a workshop methodology, the activities lead to the conception of a space or artifact for outdoor leisure activities. In an increasingly complex society being able to imagine, design and create spaces and objects suited to the needs of human beings and adapted to the environment in which they are located is an increasingly central need. Through the development of a small architectural or industrial design project, the design activity will be experienced
Mostra dei progetti di comunicazione visiva d’interesse sociale sviluppati dagli studenti del Laboratorio di Design per la comunicazione A | B
No full textLa mostra presenta gli esiti della ricerca progettuale condotta nei laboratori di Design per la Comunicazione dell'Unicam, incentrata sulle sfide della comunicazione sociale contemporanea. Gli studenti hanno sviluppato soluzioni comunicative innovative per affrontare tematiche quali salute e sicurezza, diritti civili, sostenibilità ambientale e conflitti, esplorando approcci che vanno oltre la sensibilizzazione tradizionale per promuovere un coinvolgimento attivo del pubblico
Low-cost denoising and deblurring using a novel nonlinear diffusion technique
No full textAn algorithm for the treatment of images affected by both blurring and salt&pepper noise is
proposed with a cost only proportional to the number of pixels. The methodology uses an
ad-hoc discretization scheme for the Laplace operator, multiplied by a suitable nonlinear term
depending on the gradient. Even if this approach resembles a diffusion type algorithm, only one
step of the procedure is in general needed, leading to significant time savings. The procedure
is successfully tested on some standard black&white images
Valorization of local regional apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivars versus commercial samples from Spain: Phenolic compounds by HPLC-MS/MS, cytotoxicity and biological potential on nitric oxide radicals and lipoxygenase inhibition
No full textSustainability in the fruit industry and protection of local cultivars are nowadays important tasks for consumers and authorities. Phenolic compounds are interesting to explore because they play an important role in fruit-related health benefits. The phenolic profile of the regional and commercial Spanish apple cultivars was performed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). For a deeper understanding of their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential, the 5-lipoxigenase inhibition and NO− scavenging were evaluated. Moreover, cellular viability was determined to perform MTT assay in HepG2 and HeLa cell lines to discard cytotoxicity. The results showed that procyanidin B2 (PB2), 3-caffeoylquinic acid, epicatechin and 4-hydroxy benzoic acid were the most abundant phenolic compounds. Autochthonous apple cultivars showed better 5-LOX/NO− inhibition and nontoxic effects in the tested cell lines with an interesting profile of phenolic compounds. Local autochthonous apples can be considered a better source of bioactive compounds than the commercial samples
Lupeol: bioactivity-guided cytotoxic principle from Hymenocardia acida Tul. (Phyllantaceae) suppresses signaling pathways via polypharmacology antagonism
No full textThe use of medicinal plants in the management of cancer and related ailments has been known since time immemorial among African people. Hymenocardia acida is one such plant. This research aimed at the determination of the cytotoxic bioactive principle(s) and mechanistic determination of its mechanism of action(s). Bench-top cytotoxicity screening was carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (20 – 100 μg/mL) and Raniceps ranninus (20 – 400 μg/mL), while growth inhibitory assay was carried out using Sorghum bicolor (SB) (1 - 30 mg/mL) model, the bioactivity-guided isolation of cytotoxic principle(s) was carried out using a combination of different chromatographic techniques, and probable mechanism of action was determined using in silico model. The crude extract (HA) and aqueous fraction (HAQ) Hymenocardia acida exhibited 100 % mortality on the Raniceps ranninus (RR) at different concentrations (20 – 400 μg/mL), HA and HAQ produced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the radicle length of S. bicolor in a concentration-dependent manner throughout the period of the experiment. The concentration range of 7.81 and 250 μg/mL in HA and HAQ, produced 71.70 ± 1.12 – 98.99 ± 1.96 % cytotoxicity range against Saccharomyces cerevisiae. HA possesses a 28.90 % improvement in cytotoxic activity against HCT 116 colon cancer upon solvent partitioning, HA exhibited the highest activity against human H460 lung cancer (IC50 20.80 ± 6.10). The most active fraction of HA produced lupeol, which showed remarkable cytotoxic effects on the human HCT116 colon cancer cell lines at low concentrations. Lupeol had antagonist influence on human tyrosine kinase (cytotoxic) and ERK2 receptors (cytostatic; MAPK signaling). Findings from this research justified the ethnomedicinal claim of Hymenocardia acida in the treatment of tumour-related ailments
Numerical and Experimental Study of Flax-Basalt Composites Impact Behaviour
No full textFiber-reinforced composite materials are usually adopted for transportation applications, where the impact behavior is crucial for vehicle safety and protection. Therefore, since composites are characterized by low toughness and consequent poor damage resistance, several authors have investigated different approaches to improve the impact resistance, such for example the addition of rubber particles to the polymer matrix or the reinforcement hybridization to obtain a new material by exploiting the benefits of all its constituents. Hybridization gives the possibility to realize composites with more balanced and tailored properties by lowering the costs too. In this work, the low-velocity impact behavior of hybrid composites has been numerically and experimentally investigated. In particular, epoxy-based laminates based on only 16 basalt twill, only 16 flax twill, and 16 flax/basalt layers, alternatively stacked have been realized by the vacuum infusion process. Basalt and flax fibers can be both considered green fibers, having the first ones a mineral origin and the second one a natural source. Thus, their adoption combines the impact resistance of basalt fibers and the actual environmental sustainability issues. The experimental results showed the advantage of fiber hybridization and evidenced better impact performances for the hybrid composites than those of pure basalt and pure flax laminates. In addition to the experimental tests, to implement and optimize a predictive tool for the impact resistance behavior of composite laminates, Finite Element (FE) models were developed by using the LS-DYNA solver. The model consisted of 16 shell layers connected by cohesive elements to better reproduce the delamination phenomenon. The boundary conditions applied were the same as for the physical tests. It is known that, in the definition of numerical models, some parameters cannot be experimentally determined or are not available from the tests; therefore, a trial-and-error approach was properly used to select them. The numerical results showed a good reproduction of the experimental trend and can therefore be considered as a valid and capable tool for the impact behavior simulation of other hybrid solutions or different stacking sequences
La forma della musica: l'Oratorio di Francesco Borromini alla Vallicella
No full textNell’Oratorio della Vallicella Francesco Borromini ha affrontato il tema della percezione multisensoriale dello spazio architettonico, configurando un ambiente sinestetico in cui la visione è organica-mente integrata alla sonorità. A incidere sull’aula filippina non è tuttavia la musica in sé, ma i modi socialmente regolati della sua esecuzione e del suo ascolto. Il maestro è così riuscito a dar forma a devozioni, a costumi collettivi e a generi di musica sacra che erano in uso negli anni in cui la Congrega-zione si andava confrontando coi modi espressivi della Roma barocca. Per comprendere i caratteri dell’opera non è sufficiente riferirsi a un clima culturale generico, o ai luoghi comuni che riducono la sofferta laetitia filippina a una spensierata bonarietà; occorre invece ricostruire le specifiche pratiche che l’Oratorio ospitava, di cui la musica era una componente significativa che veniva misurata (talora anche negata) a seconda delle circostanze.In the Oratorio della Vallicella, Francesco Borromini addressed the theme of multisensory perception of architectural space, configuring a synaesthetic environment in which vision is organically integrated with sound. However, it is not the music itself that affects the Filipino classroom, but the socially regulated ways of performing and listening to it.
Borromini thus succeeded in giving form to devotions, collective customs and genres of sacred music that were in use in the years when the Congregation was facing the expressive modes of Baroque Rome
To understand the characteristics of the work, it is not enough to refer to a generic cultural climate, or to the commonplaces that reduce the suffering Filipino laetitia to a carefree good-naturedness. Instead, it is necessary to reconstruct the specific practices that the Oratory hosted, of which music was a significant component that was measured (sometimes even denied) according to the circumstances