91 research outputs found
Correction: Distribution of moniliformin in industrial maize milling and flaking process (Mycotoxin Research, (2024), 40, 4, (659-665), 10.1007/s12550-024-00560-3)
No full textIn the original version of this article, the given and family names of "Terenzio Bertuzzi, Alessio Abate, Paola Giorni" were incorrectly structured. Given here are the corrected author names. The original article has been corrected
Insulin signaling network: mathematical modeling and parameter estimation from experimental data
No full textThe insulin signaling network (ISN) is an important metabolic network that, upon the insulin binding to its receptor at the cell surface, triggers the glucose uptake into the cell. The study of this mechanism within muscle cells, hepatocytes and cells of the adipose tissue is of major interest since it is crucial for understanding more clearly the factors that may induce the insulin resistance. However, the structure and the behaviour of the insulin signaling network are only partially known and the current research on this topic is
fragmented into various lines of investigation. Because of the high degree of complexity of the ISN, it is diffcult to understand, without a theoretical framework, how the network responses evidenced from the experimental data determine the cell behaviour.
In the present thesis, we proposed a detailed mathematical model of the ISN in order to investigate the factors that affect the basal concentrations and the dose-response curves (i.e., the steady state concentrations at given insulin levels) of the main components of the whole network. Our model concentrated particularly on single and double phosphorylation of Akt protein, and hypothesized the existence of a putative factor released by the small intestine that induces insulin resistance by activating the mammalian target
of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) in an insulin-independent manner and possibly operating through the IGF-1 receptor. Such hypothesis is based on clinical and experimental observations.
The parameters of the ISN model were estimated from the experimental data of two skeletal muscle cell lines using a least squares approach. As the available data consisted in the equilibrium concentrations of many of the known signaling components at given values of the insulin, we derived the concentrations of the chemicals at the steady-state from the kinetic equations and then we implemented an algorithm that minimizes the distance between the model outputs and the data. For the numerical solution, we used a local optimization routine based on a derivative-free algorithm for bound constrained optimization.
The ISN model was able to adequately fit the available experimental data. The model could thus become a useful tool to generate and test hypotheses, leading to a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying insulin resistance and, in future perspective, to find drugs able to counterbalance the effects of this disease.
Finally, as it is now widely recognized that Akt and mTOR complexes have a major role also in the regulation of cell proliferation, and then in cancer development, we combined the ISN model with a mathematical model that described the evolution of a AML (acute myeloid leukemia) cell population in order to investigate the effects of mTOR inhibitors with antitumor activity on the ISN and on the cell population response. Based on literature data of AML cell response to mTOR inhibitors with antitumor activity (the dual ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitor AZD8055), the two models provided simple relationships between the concentrations of proteins of the ISN and parameters representative of cell cycle progression and cell death
Una protesta senza movimento? L’animalismo in Italia e la centralità dell’advocacy individuale
No full textThe article investigates forms of organized interest for animal rights and wellbeing. The field consists in a variegated composition of individual and collective actors, quite different in terms of ideological values and action strategies. The author presents a historical overview of the phenomenon during the twentieth century. However, the main focus of the paper is on the present situation, and specifically on the importance assumed by the personal action frames and individual repertoires of contention. Through an online survey (704 responses) and 20 semi-structured interviews, the author frames animal advocacy within a number of typical characteristics of modernity, and especially the process of individualization. Considering these elements, the forms of protest and advocacy are widespread, while an actual movement identity is in crisis
Climate change integration in the multilevel governance of Italy and Austria: the key role of vertical and horizontal coordination
No full textClimate change represents a global problem and a challenge with manifold responses, which requires coordinated action at different levels. In this context, subnational governments play a significant – yet still understudied – role in the fight against climate change; they exercise powers in policy sectors that may have an impact on climate mitigation and adaptation objectives, such as transport, energy and water, and spatial planning. The research project “Climate change integration in the multilevel governance of Italy and Austria” (Research Südtirol/Alto Adige 2019) compares the Italian and Austrian legal systems with a particular focus on how climate change policy integration (CPI) is realized in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and Trento in Italy and Länder Tyrol and Vorarlberg in Austria. The project hypothesizes that five factors play a particularly significant role in realizing CPI, namely coordination, participation, information, leadership and funding. In this contribution, we will focus on the dimension of coordination. Also in light of the different decentralization arrangements in Italy and Austria, coordination in the study areas analysed unfolds differently concerning both the type and the employed instruments of coordination, although certain common tendencies can also be observed. Drawing from the results of the empirical research (interviews) conducted in the study areas, this article argues that coordination is affected by the federal vs regional organization of the State only when it comes to vertical coordination. Furthermore, since climate change in not a unitary policy field, improving horizontal coordination among policy fields seems to be more crucial than improving vertical coordination
Oral hygiene practices in nurseries (0-3 years) in the cities of Pavia and Vigevano
No full textAimThis study was conducted to evaluate attention to and knowledge of oral care in children aged 0–3 years, on the basis of data collected from early years educators working with this age group. Information was also collected about the oral hygiene practices adopted in nurseries and the types of food provided, with the aim of increasing knowledge and raising awareness of this topic.Materials and methodsA questionnaire was created using the “Google Forms” program and sent to all the 47 nurseries in the city of Pavia and Vigevano.ResultsTwenty establishments agreed to take part in the research. Assessment of knowledge and of awareness of oral care among early years educators caring for children in the age range 0–3 years revealed variability and some confusion. The results showed a general lack of attention to oral care in the period before the milk teeth appear, as well as limited use of gauze swabs. There was generally some use of educational play focusing on this issue, albeit not daily across all the nurseries participating in the survey. Nurseries rarely had the support of a professional dental hygienist to raise awareness among early years educators and parents.ConclusionsThe findings obtained through this study indicate that, in the area surveyed, there is a lack of widespread knowledge and awareness of oral prevention in young children, and of the oral hygiene maintenance techniques to use in this age group. This suggests a need to develop preventive protocols to improve knowledge and awareness of children's oral health among the adults who care for them
Climate change integration in the multilevel governance of Italy and Austria: the key role of vertical and horizontal coordination
No full textClimate change represents a global problem and a challenge with manifold responses, which requires coordinated action at different levels. In this context, subnational governments play a significant – yet still understudied – role in the fight against climate change; they exercise powers in policy sectors that may have an impact on climate mitigation and adaptation objectives, such as transport, energy and water, and spatial planning. The research project “Climate change integration in the multilevel governance of Italy and Austria” (Research Südtirol/Alto Adige 2019) compares the Italian and Austrian legal systems with a particular focus on how climate change policy integration (CPI) is realized in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and Trento in Italy and Länder Tyrol and Vorarlberg in Austria. The project hypothesizes that five factors play a particularly significant role in realizing CPI, namely coordination, participation, information, leadership and funding. In this contribution, we will focus on the dimension of coordination. Also in light of the different decentralization arrangements in Italy and Austria, coordination in the study areas analysed unfolds differently concerning both the type and the employed instruments of coordination, although certain common tendencies can also be observed. Drawing from the results of the empirical research (interviews) conducted in the study areas, this article argues that coordination is affected by the federal vs regional organization of the State only when it comes to vertical coordination. Furthermore, since climate change in not a unitary policy field, improving horizontal coordination among policy fields seems to be more crucial than improving vertical coordination
The Interaction of Craniofacial Morphology and Body Mass Index in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
No full textAim: This study sets out to explore the relationship between craniofacial morphology and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity, assessing the relative contribution of obesity, calculated using BMI. Methods: A sample of 30 adult patients (20 males; 10 females), mean age = 54(±76) years, with a polysomnography-confirmed diagnosis of OSA, i.e., with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of over 5 events/h, was recruited and underwent cephalometric evaluation. Sleep parameters, namely AHI, AHI supine, oxygen desaturation index (ODI), and mean oxygen saturation [Mean SaO2%], were assessed. Correlation analysis between 13 cephalometric features and AHI was performed using a Pearson test. The sample was split into three groups based on AHI score (mild = 10 30), and ANOVA was performed to compare the means of cephalometric features. In addition, the sample was split into two groups according to BMI (normal weight = BMI 25). Correlation analysis between cephalometric features and AHI was performed for each group using a Pearson test. Results: The average polysomnographic values were AHI = 29.08(±16); AHI supine = 43.45(±21); ODI = 23.98(±21); mean SaO2(%) = 93.12(±2). Posterior facial height (PFH) was significantly lower in the severe OSA group than in patients with moderate OSA (p = 0.05). In the normal-weight group, negative correlations of the PFH and SNA angle with AHI (r = −0.36; r = −0.25, respectively), and positive correlations of the FMA angle and MP-H distance with AHI (r = 0.29; r = 0.20, respectively), were found. In the overweight group, negative correlations of AO-BO distance, SPAS (upper posterior airway space) and PAS (posterior airway space) with AHI (r = −0.30; r = −0.28; r = −0.24, respectively), and positive correlations of AFH (anterior facial height) and the FMA angle with AHI (r = 0.32; r = 0.25, respectively), emerged. Conclusions: PFH seems to be related to the aggravation of OSA. In normal-weight subjects, hard tissue-related factors have a greater impact on OSA severity, whereas in overweight subjects, the impact of fat tissue is greater
Insulin signaling in insulin resistance states and cancer: A modeling analysis
No full textInsulin resistance is the common denominator of several diseases including type 2 diabetes and cancer, and investigating the mechanisms responsible for insulin signaling impairment is of primary importance. A mathematical model of the insulin signaling network (ISN) is proposed and used to investigate the dose-response curves of components of this network. Experimental data of C2C12 myoblasts with phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) suppressed and data of L6 myotubes with induced insulin resistance have been analyzed by the model. We focused particularly on single and double Akt phosphorylation and pointed out insulin signaling changes related to insulin resistance. Moreover, a new characterization of the upstream signaling of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) is presented. As it is widely recognized that ISN proteins have a crucial role also in cell proliferation and death, the ISN model was linked to a cell population model and applied to data of a cell line of acute myeloid leukemia treated with a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor with antitumor activity. The analysis revealed simple relationships among the concentrations of ISN proteins and the parameters of the cell population model that characterize cell cycle progression and cell death
Policy Recommendations: Klima-Mainstreaming auf subnationaler Ebene in Italien und Österreich, Bozen. Überlegungen zu Maßnahmen der Autonomen Provinzen Trient und Bozen sowie der Bundesländer Vorarlberg und Tirol
No full textIm Rahmen des von der Autonomen Provinz Bozen finanzierten Forschungsprojekts „Klima-Mainstreaming im Mehrebenensystem Italiens und Österreichs: Entwicklung und Umsetzung einer Auswahl subnationaler Maßnahmen“ (Research Südtirol/Alto Adige 2019) präsentiert das vorliegende Dokument eine Auswahl an Empfehlungen oder Policy Recommendations, d. h. eine Liste empfohlener Schritte zur Begünstigung der Integration und Aufnahme des Klimawandels in sektorale Maßnahmen auf subnationaler Ebene. Bei den Empfehlungen handelt es sich um spezifische Vorschläge für das Klima-Mainstreaming in den analysierten subnationalen Verwaltungen – den beiden Autonomen Provinzen Trient und Bozen sowie den beiden österreichischen Bundesländern Vorarlberg und Tirol. Die Liste erhebt keinen Anspruch auf Vollständigkeit. Da die angesprochenen Probleme klar umrissen sind, können die Empfehlungen auch als Benchmark für andere subnationale Verwaltungen in ähnlichen Situationen und mit vergleichbaren institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen herangezogen werden. Tatsächlich ist keine der nachfolgenden Policy Recommendations als ein Patentrezept für erfolgreiches Klima-Mainstreaming zu verstehen, sondern sollte vielmehr von den betreffenden Verwaltungen ausgewertet und den spezifischen Bedingungen angepasst werden, so etwa dem politischen Kontext, der politischen Bereitschaft zur Auseinandersetzung mit dem Problem, der konkreten Fähigkeit der betreffenden Verwaltungen, der politischen Möglichkeit einer Anwendung des empfohlenen Kurses, und dem Gleichgewicht mit anderen wünschenswerten gesellschaftlichen Zielen. Dessen ungeachtet sollen die vorliegenden Policy Recommendations jedoch die Einführung von Klimamaßnahmen angesichts des unmittelbaren Handlungsbedarfs aufgrund der Klimakrise begünstigen und beschleunigen.Herausgeberinnen: Federica Cittadino und Alice Meie
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