231 research outputs found
ANCHE L’ARTE PARLA DI SOSTENIBILITÀ
No full textL’umanità è su un sentiero di non sostenibilità. È un concetto che viene ribadito quotidianamente da media, esperti del settore e da svariate campagne di sensibilizzazione, più o meno efficaci. Si tratta di un argomento delicato che interessa trasversalmente tutta la società. In questo contesto, nemmeno l’arte può esimersi dall’interrogarsi su questo problema contemporaneo, e così alcuni artisti, sensibili alle tematiche ambientali, indirizzano la loro sensibilità a questa materia. La manifestazione del rapporto di affinità tra arte e sostenibilità si è concretizzata con l’esposizione di 17 dipinti, ciascuno dei quali collegato ad ognuno dei 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals – Obiettivi per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile dell’ONU), rivisitati in chiave artistica mantenendone la forma, il colore e i simboli. Il presente contributo si pone l’obiettivo di descrivere tali opere con il fine di sensibilizzare la comunità alla comprensione dell’Agenda 2030
The biological correlates of childhood trauma in first episode psychosis
No full textObjective To overview biological mechanisms connecting childhood trauma to the development of psychosis. Methods We reviewed the evidence regarding biological correlates associated with childhood trauma in individuals affected by first episode psychosis (FEP) in terms of: 1) Hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis & cytokines levels; 2) gene × environment interaction, epigenetic and gene expression modifications and 3) metabolic biomarkers. Results Childhood trauma and early psychosis even when explored separately were found associated with several biological correlates. Regarding the immune system activity, in terms of both HPA axis functioning and cytokines levels, FEP patients exposed to childhood trauma showed 1) a less reactive HPA axis, characterized by a blunted cortisol awakening response, and higher serum levels of Tumor necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in comparison with patients without childhood trauma. Genetics and epigenetics were also proven significantly different in traumatized FEP in comparison with non-exposed individuals. Specifically, first 2) the Val/Val genotype at the Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene, the A allele at rs4713916 and rs9296158 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the TT homozygosis at rs1360780 SNP in the FKBP5 gene were demonstrated to be risk factors for psychosis in traumatized individuals. Second, childhood trauma in FEP was proven significantly associated with global DNA hypo-methylation and lower BDNF gene expression. Finally, regarding metabolic changes associated with childhood trauma in FEP 3) higher levels of glycated hemoglobin and higher c-peptide and insulin levels were proven in patients exposed to childhood trauma in comparison with those without childhood trauma. Conclusions This review has given evidence regarding associations between childhood trauma and its biological correlates in first episode psychosis. Nonetheless, future studies are warranted to investigate putative biological mediators and their temporal sequence in order to elucidate developmental trajectories
CHILDHOOD TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES AND MENTAL HEALTH: INVESTIGATING BIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CORRELATES
No full textBACKGROUND: Childhood traumatic experiences, including physical and sexual abuse, antipathy, and neglect, are significantly associated with higher risk of developing both mental disorders and medical conditions. AIM: To elucidate the effects of childhood trauma on health, especially mental health, taking into account some literature-selected biological, psychological, and social correlates. METHODS: Investigations were conducted in three different sample groups: (1) a group of First Episode Psychosis (FEP) patients belonging to the “Genetics, Endophenotypes and Treatment: Understanding early Psychosis” (GET UP) Research Project; (2) a group of hepatitis C patients included in the "Chronic Inflammation and Depression” Research Project; and (3) a sample of healthy subjects. In these three samples, childhood traumatic experiences were evaluated by the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA) questionnaire (Bifulco et al., 2005): physical punishments, sexual unwanted experiences, loss, separation, antipathy, and neglect were investigated. HPA axis functioning, cannabis use, and glucose metabolism were investigated as potentially involved biological correlates. HPA axis functioning was estimated by measuring salivary cortisol levels, as both diurnal cortisol levels and Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR). The Cannabis Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ) (Barkus et al., 2006) evaluated cannabis use. The concentrations of C-peptide, Ghrelin, GIP, GLP-1, Glucagon, Insulin, Leptin, PAI-1, Resistin and Visfatin were determined using Bio-PlexProTM Human Diabetes Assays (Bio-Rad, CA, USA). Coping strategies, age, gender, education, socio-economic status, and recent severe stressful life events were taken into account as potentially involved psychosocial correlates. RESULTS: (1) Significant associations between severe sexual abuse and a diagnosis of affective psychosis and between childhood trauma, severe sexual abuse in particular, and lifetime cannabis use were found in FEP subjects. No gender difference was detected. Moreover, C-peptide and insulin levels were found increased in traumatized FEP subjects. Indeed, we found that C-peptide was higher in patients who experienced childhood trauma (with or without severe life events), while Insulin was higher in patients who reported childhood trauma (with no mention of severe recent stressful life events), in comparison to FEP subjects without traumatic events. (2) In subjects affected by Hepatitis C, childhood trauma, parental antipathy, and neglect were found significantly associated with higher levels of depressive and anxious symptomatology and with greater emotional distress. Exploring different types of trauma, we found that subjects with a history of physical punishments demonstrated significantly increased levels of depression, emotional distress, and fatigue in comparison with subjects not recalling this history. An even stronger association was found between sexual unwanted experiences and levels of depression, anxiety, and emotional distress. Healthy subjects (3) with a history of childhood trauma showed higher lifetime frequency of positive psychotic-like symptomatology, while maternal antipathy was significantly associated with lower lifetime frequency of negative symptoms and lower levels of distress in response to depressive symptoms. Lifetime cannabis use and salivary cortisol levels were explored as potentially mediating factors, but no mediational effect was found. Finally, higher insulin levels were significantly associated in healthy subjects with physical abuse and childhood trauma plus severe life events (SLEs); Body Mass Index (BMI), which was also significantly associated with higher insulin levels, completely mediated the association with physical abuse, while childhood trauma plus SLEs and BMI gave independent contributions to higher insulin levels. Higher PAI-1 levels were found in subjects reporting childhood trauma and SLEs. Finally, physical abuse, severe sexual abuse and childhood trauma plus SLEs were found significantly associated with higher C-peptide levels. BMI completely mediated the association between physical abuse and C-Peptide, while severe sexual abuse or childhood trauma plus SLEs and BMI independently contributed to C-Peptide levels. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirmed the detrimental consequences of childhood trauma, even at non-clinical level. On the other side, some of our results evoked a potential increased resilience in subjects with a history of childhood traumatic experiences
Auxin, photoperiod and putrescine affect flower neoformation in normal and rolB-transformed tobacco thin cell layers
No full textAuxin, photoperiod and putrescine are factors involved in the control of the reproductive phase of the flowering process in planta. The aim of this study was to investigate whether auxin is able, in the absence of other exogenous hormones, to stimulate flower neoformation in Nicotiana tabacum L, thin cell layers excised from flowering plants, whether an interaction exists between the hormone and the length of the light treatment per day, and whether exogenous putrescine interferes with auxin and light in the realization of the flowering programme. Since tissues transformed with rolB gene show an increased binding capacity of auxin, the response of rolB-explants was compared with that of the wild type. Thin cell layers from floral branches were cultured in the presence of a wide range (0-10 mu M) of indoleacetic acid alone, under various phototreatments (continuous darkness, 8 h light/day, and 16 h light/day). Floral, vegetative and rooting responses were favoured in the transgenic explants. Flower neoformation was stimulated by long days and by exogenous auxin (1 mu M). In rolB-thin cell layers flowering also occurred in the most unfavourable culture conditions (i.e. continuous darkness combined with either hormone-free medium or 10 mu M auxin). Long days and 1 mu M auxin also favoured caulogenesis, though to a lesser extent than flower neoformation. Rhizogenesis occurred in rolB-explants only and was induced by exogenous auxin and favoured by continuous darkness, In both wild type and rolB-explants, exogenous putrescine (1 mM) reduced flower neoformation in the presence of 1 mu M auxin and long days. (C) Elsevier, Paris
I cambiamenti demografici nei censimenti dal 1981 al 2021: le 155 Zone urbanistiche di Roma
No full textThe aim of this paper is to provide a preliminary analysis of data from the 2021 census, recently published by Istat, and comparing it with the four previous censuses. Following the previous article, published on economiaepolitica, dedicated to education, employment, and gender differences, this time we focus our attention on demographic dynamics. Data refer to all the censuses since the establishment of the districts in Rome in 1977, allowing us to compare the socio-economic changes in the city over the past 40 years. This analysis offers insights into the trends that have characterized the city over almost half a century
Occult papillary thyroid microcarcinoma manifesting only as a symptomatic lateral cervical mass: report of a case
No full textWe report a case of occult papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) manifesting as a solitary lateral cervical mass. Few such cases have been reported and, to our knowledge, this is the first report of cervical lymph node involvement from thyroid cancer being so massive that it is the cause of the local symptoms. The patient, a 64-year-old man, presented with vocal cord paralysis and voice alteration and was found to have a 4 cm lateral cervical mass infiltrating the ipsilateral internal jugular vein and recurrent laryngeal nerve. The diagnosis of PTC was made preoperatively following an open-biopsy of the lesion. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy with modified radical neck dissection, followed by radioactive iodine therapy. His postoperative course was uneventful and he remains well without any signs of recurrence 7 years after the operation
Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 Modulation through the Development of EZH2-EED Interaction Inhibitors and EED Binders
No full textEpigenetics is nowadays a well-accepted area of research. In the last years, tremendous progress was made regarding molecules targeting EZH2, directly or indirectly. Recently tazemetostat hit the market after FDA-approval for the treatment of lymphoma. However, the impairment of EZH2 activity by orthosteric intervention has proven to be effective only in a limited subset of cancers. Considering the multiproteic nature of the PRC2 complex and the marked dependence of EZH2 functions on the other core subunits such as EED, in recent years, a new targeting approach ascended to prominence. The possibility to cripple the function of the PRC2 complex by interfering with its multimeric integrity fueled the interest in developing EZH2-EED protein-protein interaction and EED inhibitors as indirect modulators of PRC2-dependent methyltransferase activity. In this Perspective, we aim to summarize the latest findings regarding the development and the biological activity of these emerging classes of PRC2 modulators from a medicinal chemist's viewpoint
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