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Impact of aquaculture on the genetic structure of animal marine populations
No full textThe development of marine aquaculture systems has raised concerns about the impact that intentional (restocking) or unintentional (escapes) releases may have on natural
populations. On this regard the genetic integrity of wild populations is threatened by: 1) biological invasions, 2) loss of genetic variation, 3) change of genetic architecture, and 4) loss of local adaptation. My study concerns the genetic characterization of both wild populations and (un)intentionally introduced populations as recommended by the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. This aim has been pursued focusing on three
main issues. The first, on the gilthead sea bream, highlighted that farmed populations were genetically divergent from wild ones. The other two issues are related to restocking of potentially exploited natural stocks. To this end we investigated the Mediterranean basin-scale genetic structure of the grooved carpet shell; our results evidenced an overall lack of genetic structure throughout the western Mediterranean which may be used in planning future management of this natural resource. In addition, we analysed also populations of its allochthonous counterpart, the manila clam, that show relatively high levels of genetic variation suggesting that this species may cause problem to grooved carpet shell. With regard to the grey flathead mullet, results show levels of genetic differentiation as small as 1% and suggested the occurrence of a unique genetic stock along Sardinian coasts
Il Gene SREBP-1 e le caratteristiche del latte in ovini di razza Sarda
No full textSREBF are a family of transcription factors structurally related that play an important role in the lipid homeostasis adjusting the expression of genes involved in cholesterol, fat acids, triglycerides and phospholipides synthesis. Nowadays 3 SREBP isoforms have been discovered: 1a, 1c and 2. 1c isoform is involved in the fat acids synthesis and in the insulin-induced metabolism, 2 isoform is specific in the cholesterol biosynthesis while 1a is involved in both way. The aim of this research was to characterize the entire coding sequence of SREBP-1 gene in Sarda breed sheep and to evaluate the association between SREBP-1 gene polymorphism and production traits. We used 80 Sarda breed sheep of 2 farm located in north Sardinia with the same food and management condition. Daily milk yield for each animal was determined and also milk samples (50 ml each) were collected to laboratory analysis. 10 ml of blood were collected from each animal to extract DNA genomic. 19 couple of primers were used to amplify the entire coding sequence. SSCP analysis (Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism) was used to resolve the PCR products. We discovered 8 SNPs. The polymorphism localization are as follow: G980T, G981T, C1686T, C5448T, G5657A, G5688A and C6872T. 12 haplotypes were found but only 7 showed a frequency over 0,02. No correlation was found between SNPs and milk traits. None significant association between 7 haplotypes and milk traits were detected
Il Risarcimento del danno per ritardo aereo nel trasporto di persone
No full textThis paper aims to address the issue of flight delays in terms of the discrepancies that may exist between international and European standards and Italian civil law, not only in conventional terms but also looking into alternatives. The type of delay that is subject to damages being paid will be examined, particulary delays that result in moral injury. This analysis will be conducted in the context of the Montreal Convention 1999, the Warsaw Convention 1929, EC Regulation no. 261/2004 (and
its proposed amendment, passed by the European Commission, 13 March 2013) and the most recent decisions of the European Court of Justice. The intention of the study
is, therefore, to verify whether the above regulations are applicable in Italian civil law or whether discrepancies exist, in the context of navigational law
Le Metamorfosi di Lucrezia: rilettura del mito nel Settecento: Carlo Goldoni, Samuel Richardson e Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
No full textThe virtuous Roman matron Lucretia, raped by Sextus Tarquinius, killed herself in 509 b. C. Her death is considered the cause of the Roman revolt against the Tarquins and the mainspring of the passage from the monarchic to the republican age. It is a myth about private and public dimensions: it tells about woman and revolution. Its themes, permanent features and variations are infinite. The metamorphoses of Lucretia are innumerable: nonetheless, she has always preserved her essence and profound meaning, thus confirming her strength and her being a true myth. Lucretia has crossed the centuries, she has been told, painted, sung by artists from 509 b. C. until today. She reached the Eighteenth Century, Italy, Great Britain and Germany and she met three great authors: Carlo Goldoni, Samuel Richardson and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. They chose her (or did she choose them?) and decided to write about her story each in their own peculiar manner. Goldoni wrote a “dramma giocoso in musica”, Lugrezia romana in Costantinopoli (1737), Richardson a novel, Clarissa (1747-48) and Lessing a “bürgerliches Trauerspiel” entitled Emilia Galotti (1772). One myth, three authors, three different literary genres: this work would like to investigate and verify the connection among them and the meaning of it. The comparative analysis of the metamorphoses of Lucretia will disclose new concepts of private and public, of woman and revolution, sprung from an old but perpetual reviving myth
Effetto della memantina su modelli animali di disturbi dell'umore
No full textAIM: Mood disorders are one of the leading causes of morbidity, disability and premature mortality contributing for about 50% of the non-fatal burden of mental disorders.
Bipolar disorder (BD) has a lifetime prevalence of approximately 1.0% for BD-I, 1.1% for BD-II and 2.4% for BD-NOS. Eighty-three percent of BD cases are classified as “seriously severe” and 17.1% as “moderately severe”.
Long-term prophylactic treatment of BD aimed at preventing recurrences of the various phases is a leading clinical and research challenge for contemporary psychiatry. Dopaminergic behavioural supersensitivity induced by chronic treatment with antidepressants might be involved both in the antidepressant action and in the mechanisms underlying antidepressant treatment-related mania (antidepressant-induced mood switch and possibly, rapid cycling bipolar disorder).
The stimulation of NMDA receptors is required for the development of dopamine receptor sensitization induced by antidepressants. Indeed, the administration of MK-801, a selective non-competitive NMDA receptor blocker, completely prevents the dopamine receptor sensitization induced by imipramine and by electroconvulsive shock.
These observations strongly suggest that the non-competitive blockade of NMDA receptors should result in an anti-manic and mood stabilizing action, and that it should also be effective in the treatment of the disorders resistant to currently used antimanic and mood stabilizers.
Memantine is a non-competitve NMDA receptor antagonist, she has been on the market in since 1982 for the treatment of Parkinsonism, before its approval in 2002 and 2004 by EMEA and FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's Disease.
Although its actual efficacy on the AD patient's quality of life has proven to be moderate, several pre-marketing and post marketing studies have demonstrated the excellent safety and tolerability profile of the drug.
Moreover, the drug has been used off-label in a number of neurological and psychiatric conditions, including depression, with conflicting and inconclusive results.
To further clarify the farmacology of memantine, I studied hers effect in animal models of in mood disorders.
METHOD: Male and Female rats treated with memantine in animal model of:
• dopaminergic behavioural supersensitivity
• bipolard disorders by chronic antidepressant
• stress
• catatonia by haloperidol
• tardive dyskinesia by cronic haloperidol
RESULTS: The results show that memantine, at variance with antidepressant treatments (including drugs, electroconvulsive schock, REM-sleep deprivation), fails to induce dopaminergic behavioural supersensitivity. Therefore has not an antidepressant action.
Memantine prevents not only, as observed with MK-801, the sensitization of dopamine receptors induced by chronic imipramine (mania), but also the ensuing desensitization of those receptors and the associated depressive-like behavior. Thus stabilizes the course of the manic-depressive illness Furthermore, memantine prevents stress, catatonia and tardive dyskinesia.
This observation is consistent with the results of clinical studies suggesting that memantine has not an antidepressant action but an antimanic and mood-stabilizing effect.</br
Proteomic analysis of human plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients
No full textSystemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by alterations both innate and adaptive immune systems, that lead to the loss of immunologic tolerance. Plasma and PBMCs proteome and cytokines analyses can help to better understand the cellular mechanisms of this disease.
The aim of this study was to observe the changes in the proteome and in cytokines expression in SLE patients, in order to increase our knowledge about pathogenesis and to find possible biomarkers or therapeutic targets.
We used 2-DE and MS analyses to identify the protein of interest, and Western blot and ELISA to validate. MAG-PIX instrument was used to quantify plasma cytokines.
Several proteins were differentially expressed in the PBMCs from SLE patients. Among these, Peroxiredoxin 2 could be used as target protein for further investigations. In plasma, we found that clusterin levels increased, but it is not statistically significant. These proteomic results provide suggestions for understanding the molecular mechanisms of SLE.
Cytokines analysis showed that plasma concentrations were significantly higher in SLE patients than in healthy subjects. ROC curves analyses showed that MCP-1, MIP-1 and sCD40L have high diagnostic power. These results suggest the potential usefulness of these cytokines in SLE as potential biomarkers.
Further studies are required to confirm our results. It would be interesting to analyse data both from treated subjects and from subjects in different phases of the disease
Spatial planning for Tsunami resilience: a case study of Kochi City, Japan
No full textThe research argues that the resilience concept can renders coastal cities capable of turning tsunami vulnerability into a window of opportunity to create better living environment and enhance urban resilience against tsunami. Three research objectives are set. The first objective is to describe the disaster resilience in terms of urban planning and find a way to put the theoretical resilience into practice. The second objective is to determine tsunami vulnerable characteristics of the coastal city based on a case study of Kochi City. Finally yet importantly, the third objective is to explore whether or not Kochi City is tsunami resilient in terms of spatial planning. Three core criteria are adapted to define the disaster resilience of cities: the robustness of physical infrastructure, institutional capabilities to self-organize and to bounce back from the disaster, and social learning capabilities to create suitable measures for spatial based risk management. Coping with the disaster depends on the competency and resilience of the social agent, and subsequently on the robustness of the physical infrastructure. The findings reveal the disaster risk awareness is present, as in written documents and unwritten commitments, both at national level and at community level. Nevertheless, the local spatial planning authorities have inadequate capability to exercise the norm in tsunami mitigation. The critical infrastructure such as schools is still located in a tsunami-prone area
Utilization of epidemiological, archaeological, and genome data for assessing the health of historic communities
No full textThe Cattedrale Sant'Antonio Abate in Castelsardo, Sardinia, Italy, was constructed in the late 16th to the beginning of the 17th century, and its crypts were used for burials from the 17th century to the 19th century. During this period in Sardinia, several intense outbreaks and epidemics of infectious diseases occurred, including Yersinia pestis, smallpox, malaria, measles, cholera, and typhus.
During a recent renovation to expand the cathedral’s museum, the skeletal remains of exceptionally well-preserved individuals, including several mummified individuals, were discovered. Male and female adults and children were interred in the crypt, and there were several interesting groupings that appeared to be family or mother-child burials, which suggested burials concurrent with epidemics and outbreaks of disease.
Methodologies were developed to collect bioarchaeological samples with decreased risk of contamination from modern DNA. Analysis of the mitochondrial haplotype identified potential mother-child burials. Additional ancient DNA analysis indicates that several individuals died of smallpox or Yersinia pestis
Comparison of three different polyvinyl alcohol packs following functional endoscopic Nasal surgery
No full textObjectives/Hypothesis
To compare the extent of bleeding and patient discomfort during packing removal of three different polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) packs: 1) a standard PVA sponge (s-PVA) (Mondocel Standard 10 cm; Mondomed NV, Hamont-Achel, Belgium); 2) a PVA sponge with oxidized cellulose (oc-PVA) (Merocel Hemox 10 cm; Medtronic Xomed Surgical Products, Jacksonville, FL); and 3) a PVA sponge with polyethylene film (pf-PVA) (Merocel 2000 8 cm; Medtronic Xomed Surgical Products, Jacksonville, FL), after functional endoscopic sinus surgery and inferior turbinoplasty.
Study Design
A prospective, randomized, blinded, controlled trial.
Methods
Ninety consecutive patients were enrolled and randomized to receive in each side one pack in the middle meatus and another pack of the same material in the nasal fossa. The patients were equally divided in three groups of 30 patients each. Group A received the pf-PVA; group B received oc-PVA; and group C received s-PVA. Postoperatively, bleeding after removal of the entire nasal packing was evaluated by an observer, whereas the severity of pain was rated by patients with visual analog scales.
Results
Our study evaluated three nasal packing materials, demonstrating that the pf-PVA is less painful than the others but with intermediate bleeding ratio. However, the oc-PVA has an intermediate pain score but minimum bleeding. The s-PVA showed the worst pain and bleeding results.
Conclusions
Considering that removal of the second pack (middle meatus) is more painful than the first (nasal fossa), our results suggest that a pf-PVA can be placed in the middle meatus and a oc-PVA in the nasal fossa in order to reduce patient's discomfort in terms of pain and bleeding.</br
Pulverized human skull in pharmacological preparations: possible evidence from the “martyrs of Otranto” (southern Italy,1480)
No full textEthnopharmacological relevance
Ever since the Late Medieval Ages historico-medical literature has attested the use of cranium humanun as an ingredient in pharmacological preparations for the treatment of epilepsy. Some authors suggest the use of pulverized bone obtained from individuals who died a violent death and were not buried.
Materials and methods
The skeletal remains of hundreds of male inhabitants from Otranto, killed by the Ottomans in a mass execution on 14 August, 1480, are preserved in the Chapel of Martyrs in Otranto Cathedral (Apulia, southern Italy). The so-called “martyrs of Otranto” were beatified in 1771 and canonized by Pope Francis on 12 May, 2013. A cranial vault with 16 holes of different sizes, with regular rounded shape, was noticed among the skeletal remains, symmetrically arranged behind five large rectangular windows. Eight of the 16 holes, which exposed the diploe without reaching the endocranial surface, are incomplete perforations, while 8 holes are complete perforations; no evidence of bone reaction is visible.
Results
The lesions are the result of a multiple trepanation performed by using an instrument equipped with a large rounded tip. This tool could not produce bone discs, but only bone powder. It is impossible to establish with certainty the reasons for these multiple trepanations, but several hypotheses can be advanced, ranging from experimental surgery to a procedure designed to obtain relics. However, saint bones are very likely to have been regarded as having medicinal properties. As a matter of fact the martyrs of Otranto died a violent death and were not buried, and the pulverized bone obtained from their skulls might have been considered a particularly powerful ingredient for pharmacological preparations, as attested in the historico-medical literature.
Conclusions
The skull of Otranto might represent a unique evidence of multiple trepanations carried out to obtain bone powder as ingredient for therapeutic preparations.</br