Environmental and economic assessment of sustainability in Mediterranean wheat production

ArticleThis study proposes the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and economic evaluations conducted on different cereal production systems in semi-arid environments. Two different crop management systems of durum wheat were analysed by distinguishing Continuous Cropping (CC) and Crop Rotation (CR) with vetch, that are conducted through two different levels of crop intensification (in terms of tillage and fertilization strategies): Conventional (Conv) and Conservative (Cons). The resulting four scenarios were examined using LCA methodology to assess the environmental impacts, and the Production Cost (PC) analysis to estimate the economic results. Overall, the findings of this research provide an opportunity to identify sustainable crops management strategies

Teratogenic potential of nanoencapsulated vitamin A evaluated on an alternative model organism, the tunicate Ciona intestinalis

Nano-encapsulation is a technology used to pack substances in order to enhance their stability and bioavailability, but this packing may interact with living systems, causing unexpected toxicity. Vitamin A (vit A) is a substance that has received attention, because in developed countries, the increasing availability of supplements is leading to its excessive intake. This study aims to compare teratogenic effects caused by exposure to the traditional formulation of vit A versus nano-encapsulated vit A. We used ascidian embryos as an alternative model. Ascidians are marine organisms closely related to vertebrates that share with them a body plan and developmental programme, including the morphogenetic role of retinoic acid (RA). Our data showed that the adverse effects of exposure to the same concentration of the two formulations were different, suggesting that the nano-encapsulation increased the bioavailability of the molecule, which could be better absorbed and metabolised to RA, the effective teratogenic substance

Correction of human phospholamban R14del mutation associated with cardiomyopathy using targeted nucleases and combination therapy

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Transcription profiling of HCN-channel isotypes throughout mouse cardiac development

Hyperpolarization-activated ion channels, encoded by four mammalian genes (HCN1-4), contribute in an important way to the cardiac pacemaker current If. Here, we describe the transcription profiles of the four HCN genes, the NRSF, KCNE2 and Kir2.1 genes from embryonic stage E9.5 dpc to postnatal day 120 in the mouse. Embryonic atrium and ventricle revealed abundant HCN4 transcription but other HCN transcripts were almost absent. Towards birth, HCN4 was downregulated in the atrium and almost vanished from the ventricle. After birth, however, HCN isotype transcription changed remarkably, showing increased levels of HCN1, HCN2 and HCN4 in the atrium and of HCN2 and HCN4 in the ventricle. HCN3 showed highest transcription at early embryonic stages and was hardly detectable thereafter. At postnatal day 10, HCN4 was highest in the sinoatrial node, being twofold higher than HCN1 and fivefold higher than HCN2. In the atrium, HCN4 was similar to HCN1 and sevenfold higher than HCN2. In the ventricle, in contrast, HCN2 was sixfold higher than HCN4, while HCN1 was absent. Subsequently all HCN isotype transcripts declined to lower adult levels, while ratios of HCN isotypes remained stable. In conclusion, substantial changes of HCN isotype transcription throughout cardiac development suggest that a regulated pattern of HCN isotypes is required to establish and ensure a stable heart rhythm. Furthermore, constantly low HCN transcription in adult myocardium may be required to prevent atrial and ventricular arrhythmogenesis

Adherence issues related to sublingual immunotherapy as perceived by allergists

Objectives: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a viable alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy to treat allergic rhinitis and asthma, and is widely used in clinical practice in many European countries. The clinical efficacy of SLIT has been established in a number of clinical trials and meta-analyses. However, because SLIT is self-administered by patients without medical supervision, the degree of patient adherence with treatment is still a concern. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception by allergists of issues related to SLIT adherence. Methods: We performed a questionnaire-based survey of 296 Italian allergists, based on the adherence issues known from previous studies. The perception of importance of each item was assessed by a VAS scale ranging from 0 to 10. Results: Patient perception of clinical efficacy was considered the most important factor (ranked 1 by 54% of allergists), followed by the possibility of reimbursement (ranked 1 by 34%), and by the absence of side effects (ranked 1 by 21%). Patient education, regular follow-up, and ease of use of SLIT were ranked first by less than 20% of allergists. Conclusion: These findings indicate that clinical efficacy, cost, and side effects are perceived as the major issues influencing patient adherence to SLIT, and that further improvement of adherence is likely to be achieved by improving the patient information provided by prescribers. © 2010 Scurati et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd

THE EFFECTS OF THE TOMATIS METHOD ON TINNITUS

ABSTRACT The Tomatis method was developed as a technique for the training of the neuro-psychological an

Exploring the early stages of the amyloid aβ(1–42) peptide aggregation process: An nmr study

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative pathology characterized by the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, the latter mainly composed of Aβ(1–40) and Aβ(1–42) peptides. The control of the Aβ aggregation process as a therapeutic strategy for AD has prompted the interest to investigate the conformation of the Aβ peptides, taking advantage of computational and experimental techniques. Mixtures composed of systematically different proportions of HFIP and water have been used to monitor, by NMR, the conformational transition of the Aβ(1–42) from soluble α-helical structure to β-sheet aggregates. In the previous studies, 50/50 HFIP/water proportion emerged as the solution condition where the first evident Aβ(1–42) conformational changes occur. In the hypothesis that this solvent reproduces the best condition to catch transitional helical-β-sheet Aβ(1–42) conformations, in this study, we report an extensive NMR conformational analysis of Aβ(1–42) in 50/50 HFIP/water v/v. Aβ(1–42) structure was solved by us, giving evidence that the evolution of Aβ(1–42) peptide from helical to the β-sheet may follow unexpected routes. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm that the structural model we calculated represents a starting condition for amyloid fibrils formation

Adipose tissue FGF21 resistance contributes to hypoadiponectinemia and insulin resistance in obesity: role of miR-34a

Poster Presentation: Insulin Action - Adipocyte Biology: no. 1866-PFibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21) is a hormone with beneficial effects on glucose and lipid homeostasis. We have previously reported its stimulatory effect on adiponectin secretion. However, serum FGF21 is paradoxically elevated in obesity and high FGF21 levels predict incident type 2 diabetes, suggesting that FGF21 resistance enhances the development of obesity-related type 2 diabetes. Here we sought to confirm the presence of FGF21 resistance in the adipose tissues of obese/overweight humans and investigate for the underlying mechanism. The expression levels of FGFR1, the receptor for FGF21, and β-klotho, its co-receptor protein, and miR-34a, were measured in visceral adipose tissues (VAT) collected during surgery from 24 overweight/obese (BMI > 23) Chinese women and 29 age- and sex-matched lean controls. To elucidate the effect of increased miR-34a on the expression of β-klotho, FGFR1 and adiponectin, 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes were infected with lentiviral vector expressing miR-34a, before differentiation into mature adipocytes. Obese/overweight subjects had raised serum FGF21, reduced serum adiponectin, reduced VAT expressions of FGFR1 (all p<0.01) and β-klotho (p<0.05), but increased VAT expression of miR-34a (p<0.05), by RT-PCR. VAT FGFR1 and β-klotho expressions correlated inversely with the HOMA-IR insulin resistance index (both p<0.05), but positively with serum adiponectin (both p<0.01). On the other hand, VAT miR-34a expression correlated inversely with that of β-klotho, FGFR1 and adiponectin (all p<0.01), but positively with HOMA-IR (p<0.05). Lentivirus-mediated 5-fold increase in adipocyte miR-34a expression was accompanied by reduced β-klotho (p<0.01), FGFR1 (p<0.01) and adiponectin (p<0.001) expressions. We conclude that MiR-34a mediated FGF21 resistance is present in the adipose tissues of obese/overweight subjects and may contribute to obesity-related insulin resistance, in part via inducing hypoadiponectinaemiapostprin