Efficiency of DNA mini-barcoding to assess mislabeling in commercial fish products in italy: An overview of the last decade

The problem of fish traceability in processed products is still an important issue in food safety. Major attention is nowadays dedicated to consumer health and prevention of possible frauds regulated by national and international laws. For this reason, a technical approach is fun-damental in revealing mislabeling at different levels. In particular, the use of genetic markers has been standardized and DNA barcoding is considered the gold-standard strategy to examine and prevent species substitution. Considering the richness of available DNA databases, it is nowadays possible to rapidly reach a reliable taxonomy at the species level. Among different approaches, an innovative method based on DNA mini barcoding has recently been proposed at an international level. Starting from this evidence, we herein illustrate an investigation dealing with the evolution of this topic in Italy over the last decade. The molecular analysis of 71 commercial fish samples based on mini-COI sequencing with two different primer sets reached an amplification success rate of 87.3 and 97.2%. The investigation revealed four major frauds (5.8%) and four minor ones (5.8%). Results highlighted a decrease in incorrect labeling in Italy from 32% to 11.6% over the last decade, although a recurrent involvement of “endangered” species sensu IUCN was still observed

Compulsivity Reveals a Novel Dissociation between Action and Confidence

Confidence and actions are normally tightly interwoven—if I am sure that it is going to rain, I will take an umbrella—therefore, it is difficult to understand their interplay. Stimulated by the ego-dystonic nature of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), where compulsive actions are recognized as disproportionate, we hypothesized that action and confidence might be independently updated during learning. Participants completed a predictive-inference task designed to identify how action and confidence evolve in response to surprising changes in the environment. While OCD patients (like controls) correctly updated their confidence according to changes in the environment, their actions (unlike those of controls) mostly disregarded this knowledge. Therefore, OCD patients develop an accurate, internal model of the environment but fail to use it to guide behavior. Results demonstrated a novel dissociation between confidence and action, suggesting a cognitive architecture whereby confidence estimates can accurately track the statistic of the environment independently from performance.B.D.M. was supported by Wellcome Trust and Royal Society (Sir Henry Dale Fellowship 102612/A/13/Z). T.W.R. was supported by Wellcome Trust (Senior Investigator Award 104631/Z/14/Z). M.M.V. is supported by a Pinsent Darwin Scholarship in Mental Pathology and an Angharad Dodds John Bursary in Mental Health and Neuropsychiatry

Prevalence of airflow obstruction according GOLD, ATS and ERS criteria in symptomatic ever-smokers referring to a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Department

Aim. To evaluate in a Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) setting the prevalence of airflow obstruction (AO) in either current or former smokers ≥45 years old both with dyspnoea and with chronic productive cough, using European Respiratory society (ERS) statement (FEV1/SVC <88 and <89% predicted in men and women, respectively), American Thoracic Society (ATS) statement (FEV1/FVC <75%), and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) statement (FEV1/FVC <70%). Methods. Lung function tests were performed in each patient who was referred to our PR department due to respiratory diagnosis or symptoms. For analysis, in patients showing AO we used post-bronchodilator lung function values. Results. In 184 ever-smoker patients with symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the prevalence rates of AO were as follows: ERS = 89.7%, ATS = 76.6%, and GOLD = 63.6%. Patients with AO according ERS criteria showing moderate to severe (M/S) obstruction (i.e., FEV1 <70% predicted) were 119. Patients with ERS M/S AO but without AO using either ATS or GOLD criteria were 8.4% and 19.3%, respectively. Conclusions. Prevalence of AO is highly dependent on which guidelines it is based. ATS and particularly GOLD statement can cause a large under-diagnosis even of moderate to severe COPD. Diagnosis of COPD may be overlooked if SVC is not performed

A Non-coded β2,2-Amino Acid with Isoxazoline Core Able to Stabilize Peptides Folding through an Unprecedented Hydrogen Bond

Dedicated to Prof. Cesare Gennari on the occasion of his 70th birthday New peptidomimetics containing a beta(2,)(2)-isoxazoline amino acid, i.e. 5-(aminomethyl)-3-phenyl-4,5-dihydroisoxazole-5-carboxylic acid (Isox-beta(2,)(2)AA), were prepared and studied by NMR and theoretical calculation. Although similar amino acid derivatives have already been prepared via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction, neither experimental details nor characterization were found and they were never used for peptide synthesis. Both enantiomers were inserted in peptide sequences to verify their ability to induce a secondary structure. We found that an unexpected conformation is given by R-Isox-beta(2,)(2)AA, inducing the folding of short peptides thanks to an unprecedented H-bond involving C=N of the isoxazoline side chain of our beta(2,)(2)-AA

Highly enantioselective &#8220;inherently chiral&#8221; electroactive materials based on a 2,2&apos; -biindole atropisomeric scaffold

Chiral oligothiophene monomers with C2 symmetry, based on 3,30 -bithiophene atropisomeric cores with high racemization barriers, have recently been shown to provide excellent chiral starting materials with high electroactivity for the easy preparation of enantiopure electroactive films endowed with powerful chirality manifestations. We now introduce an inherently chiral monomer based on a 2,20 -biindole core, as the prototype of a new inherently chiral monomer family, whose properties could be modulable through functionalization of the pyrrolic N atoms. By fast, regular electrooligomerization the new monomer yields inherently chiral films with high, reversible electroactivity and, above all, impressive enantioselectivity towards very different chiral probes, some of pharmaceutical interest, as generalscope electrode surfaces. Such results, while opening the way to a new, attractive inherently chiral selector class, nicely confirm the general validity of the inherent chirality strategy for chiral electrochemistry. Furthermore, the enantioselectivity of the new selectors not only holds with electroactive chiral probes, but also with circularly polarized light components as well as electron spins, resulting in good chiroptical and spin filter performances, which suggests fascinating correlations between the three contexts

A patient-centered multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation program improves glycemic control and functional outcome in coronary artery disease after percutaneous and surgical revascularization

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is strongly associated with all-cause mortality reduction in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The impact of CR on pathological risk factors, such as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and functional recovery remains under debate. The aim of the present study is to determine whether CR has a positive effect on physical exercise improvement and on pathological risk factors in IGT and diabetic patients with CAD. Methods: One hundred and seventy-one consecutive patients participating in a 3-month CR from January 2014 to June 2015 were enrolled. The primary endpoint was defined as an improvement of peak workload and VO2-peak; glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reduction was considered as a secondary endpoint. Results: Euglycemic patients presented a significant improvement in peak workload compared to diabetic patients (from 5.75 ± 1.45 to 6.65 ± 1.84 METs, p = 0.018 vs. 4.8 ± 0.8 to 4.9 ± 1.4 METs). VO2-peak improved in euglycemic patients (VO2-peak from 19.3 ± 5.3 mL/min/kg to 22.5 ± 5.9, p = 0.003), while diabetic patients did not present  a  statistically significant trend (VO2-peak from 16.9 ± 4.4 mL/min/kg to 18.0 ± 3.8, p &lt; 0.056). Diabetic patients have benefited more in terms of blood glucose control compared to IGT patients (HbA1c from 7.7 ± 1.0 to 7.4 ± 1.1 compared to 5.6 ± 0.4 to 5.9 ± 0.5, p = 0.02, respectively). Conclusions: A multidisciplinary CR program improves physical functional capacity in CAD setting, particularly in euglycemic patients. IGT patients as well as diabetic patients may benefit from a CR program, but long-term outcome needs to be clarified in larger studies

Perseveration and Shifting in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as a Function of Uncertainty, Punishment, and Serotonergic Medication

© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc on behalf of the Society of Biological Psychiatry. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Background The nature of cognitive flexibility deficits in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which historically have been tested with probabilistic reversal learning tasks, remains elusive. Here, a novel deterministic reversal task and inclusion of unmedicated patients in the study sample illuminated the role of fixed versus uncertain rules/contingencies and of serotonergic medication. Additionally, our understanding of probabilistic reversal was enhanced through theoretical computational modeling of cognitive flexibility in OCD. Methods We recruited 49 patients with OCD, 21 of whom were unmedicated, and 43 healthy control participants matched for age, IQ, and gender. Participants were tested on 2 tasks: a novel visuomotor deterministic reversal learning task with 3 reversals (feedback rewarding/punishing/neutral) measuring accuracy/perseveration and a 2-choice visual probabilistic reversal learning task with uncertain feedback and a single reversal measuring win-stay and lose-shift. Bayesian computational modeling provided measures of learning rate, reinforcement sensitivity, and stimulus stickiness. Results Unmedicated patients with OCD were impaired on the deterministic reversal task under punishment only at the first and third reversals compared with both control participants and medicated patients with OCD, who had no deficit. Perseverative errors were correlated with OCD severity. On the probabilistic reversal task, unmedicated patients were only impaired at reversal, whereas medicated patients were impaired at both the learning and reversal stages. Computational modeling showed that the overall change was reduced feedback sensitivity in both OCD groups. Conclusions Both perseveration and increased shifting can be observed in OCD, depending on test conditions including the predictability of reinforcement. Perseveration was related to clinical severity and remediated by serotonergic medication.Peer reviewe

Atypical action updating in a dynamic environment associated with adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder

Background: Computational research had determined that adults with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) display heightened action updating in response to noise in the environment and neglect metacognitive information (such as confidence) when making decisions. These features are proposed to underlie patients’ compulsions despite the knowledge they are irrational. Nonetheless, it is unclear whether this extends to adolescents with OCD as research in this population is lacking. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the interplay between action and confidence in adolescents with OCD. Methods: Twenty-seven adolescents with OCD and 46 controls completed a predictive-inference task, designed to probe how subjects’ actions and confidence ratings fluctuate in response to unexpected outcomes. We investigated how subjects update actions in response to prediction errors (indexing mismatches between expectations and outcomes) and used parameters from a Bayesian model to predict how confidence and action evolve over time. Confidence–action association strength was assessed using a regression model. We also investigated the effects of serotonergic medication. Results: Adolescents with OCD showed significantly increased learning rates, particularly following small prediction errors. Results were driven primarily by unmedicated patients. Confidence ratings appeared equivalent between groups, although model-based analysis revealed that patients’ confidence was less affected by prediction errors compared to controls. Patients and controls did not differ in the extent to which they updated actions and confidence in tandem. Conclusions: Adolescents with OCD showed enhanced action adjustments, especially in the face of small prediction errors, consistent with previous research establishing ‘just-right’ compulsions, enhanced error-related negativity, and greater decision uncertainty in paediatric-OCD. These tendencies were ameliorated in patients receiving serotonergic medication, emphasising the importance of early intervention in preventing disorder-related cognitive deficits. Confidence ratings were equivalent between young patients and controls, mirroring findings in adult OCD research

Relating psychiatric symptoms and self-regulation during the COVID-19 crisis

Disruptions of self-regulation are a hallmark of numerous psychiatric disorders. Here, we examine the relationship between transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology and changes in self-regulation in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a data-driven approach on a large number of cognitive tasks and self-reported surveys in training datasets. Then, we derived measures of self-regulation and psychiatric functioning in an independent population sample (N = 102) tested both before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the restrictions in place represented a threat to mental health and forced people to flexibly adjust to modifications of daily routines. We found independent relationships between transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology and longitudinal alterations in specific domains of self-regulation defined using a diffusion decision model. Compared to the period preceding the onset of the pandemic, a symptom dimension related to anxiety and depression was characterized by a more cautious behavior, indexed by the need to accumulate more evidence before making a decision. Instead, social withdrawal related to faster non-decision processes. Self-reported measures of self-regulation predicted variance in psychiatric symptoms both concurrently and prospectively, revealing the psychological dimensions relevant for separate transdiagnostic dimensions of psychiatry, but tasks did not. Taken together, our results are suggestive of potential cognitive vulnerabilities in the domain of self-regulation in people with underlying psychiatric difficulties in face of real-life stressors. More generally, they also suggest that the study of cognition needs to take into account the dynamic nature of real-world events as well as within-subject variability over time