Submarine depositional terraces at Salina Island (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) and implications on the Late-Quaternary evolution of the insular shelf

The integrated analysis of high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and single-channel seismic profiles around Salina Island allowed us to characterize the stratigraphic architecture of the insular shelf. The shelf is formed by a gently-sloping erosive surface carved on the volcanic bedrock, mostly covered by sediments organized in a suite of terraced bodies, i.e. submarine depositional terraces. Based on their position on the shelf, depth range of their edge and inner geometry, different orders of terraces can be distinguished. The shallowest terrace (near-shore terrace) is a sedimentary prograding wedge, whose formation can be associated to the downward transport of sediments from the surf zone and shoreface during stormy conditions. According to the range depth of the terrace edge (i.e., 10–25 m, compatible with the estimated present-day, local storm-wave base level in the central and western Mediterranean), the formation of this wedge can be attributed to the present-day highstand. By assuming a similar genesis for the deeper terraces, mid-shelf terraces having the edge at depths of 40–50 m and 70–80 m can be attributed to the late and early stages of the Post-LGM transgression, respectively. Finally, the deepest terrace (shelf-edge terrace) has the edge at depths of 130–160 m, being thus referable to the lowstand occurred at ca. 20 ka. Based on the variability of edge depth in the different sectors, we also show how lowstand terraces can be used to provide insights on the recent vertical movements that affected Salina edifice in the last 20 ka, highlighting more generally their possible use for neo-tectonic studies elsewhere. Moreover, being these terraces associated to different paleo-sea levels, they can be used to constrain the relative age of the different erosive stages affecting shallow-water sectors

On the Asymptotic Dynamics of a Quantum System Composed by Heavy and Light Particles

We consider a non relativistic quantum system consisting of $K$ heavy and $N$ light particles in dimension three, where each heavy particle interacts with the light ones via a two-body potential $\alpha V$. No interaction is assumed among particles of the same kind. Choosing an initial state in a product form and assuming $\alpha$ sufficiently small we characterize the asymptotic dynamics of the system in the limit of small mass ratio, with an explicit control of the error. In the case K=1 the result is extended to arbitrary $\alpha$. The proof relies on a perturbative analysis and exploits a generalized version of the standard dispersive estimates for the Schr\"{o}dinger group. Exploiting the asymptotic formula, it is also outlined an application to the problem of the decoherence effect produced on a heavy particle by the interaction with the light ones.Comment: 38 page

Effect of eliminating chronic diseases among elderly individuals

OBJETIVO: Avaliar se a eliminação de determinadas doenças crônicas é capaz de levar à compressão da morbidade em indivíduos idosos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal analítico de base populacional realizado com dados oficiais secundários para o Município de São Paulo, em 2000, e dados obtidos a partir do estudo SABE: Saúde, Bem-Estar e Envelhecimento. Foi utilizado o método de Sullivan para o cálculo de expectativas de vida livre de incapacidade. Tábuas de vida de eliminação de causas foram utilizadas para calcular as probabilidades de morte e incapacidade com a eliminação de doenças. RESULTADOS: Os maiores ganhos em expectativa de vida livre de incapacidade, com a eliminação de doenças crônicas, ocorreram no sexo feminino. Nos indivíduos de idade mais avançada, os ganhos dessa expectativa de vida ocorreram em função de um processo de compressão relativa da morbidade. Nos homens com idade de 75 anos, todas as doenças estudadas, com exceção da doença cardíaca e da hipertensão arterial sistêmica, levaram a um processo de expansão absoluta da morbidade, mas simultaneamente a um processo de compressão relativa da morbidade ao serem eliminadas. CONCLUSÕES: A eliminação de doenças crônicas na população idosa pode levar a uma compressão da morbidade em homens e mulheres idosos.OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the elimination of certain chronic diseases is capable of leading to the compression of morbidity among elderly individuals. METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional study was carried out with official data for the city of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil in 2000 and data from the SABE (Health, Wellbeing and Ageing) study. Sullivan's method was used to calculate disability-free life expectancy. Cause-deleted life tables were used to calculate the probabilities of death and disabilities with the elimination of health conditions. RESULTS: The largest gains in disability-free life expectancy, with the elimination of chronic illness, occurred in the female gender. Among individuals of a more advanced age, gains in disability-free life expectancy occurred as result of a relative compression of morbidity. Among men aged 75 years, all conditions studied, except heart disease and systemic arterial pressure, led to an absolute expansion of morbidity and, at the same time, to a relative compression of morbidity upon being eliminated. CONCLUSIONS: The elimination of chronic diseases in the elderly could lead to the compression of morbidity in elderly men and women.OBJETIVO: Evaluar si la eliminación de determinadas enfermedades crónicas es capaz de generar disminución de la morbilidad en individuos ancianos MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal analítico de base poblacional realizado con datos oficiales secundarios para el municipio de Sao Paulo (Brasil), en 2000, y datos obtenidos a partir de estudio SABE: Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento. Se utilizó el método de Sullivan para el cálculo de expectativas de vida libre de incapacidad. Tablas de vida de eliminación de causas fueron utilizadas para calcular las probabilidades de muerte e incapacidad con la eliminación de enfermedades. RESULTADOS: Las mayores ganancias en expectativa de vida libre de incapacidad, con la eliminación de enfermedades crónicas, ocurrieron en el sexo femenino. En los individuos de edad más avanzada, las ganancias de esa expectativa de vida ocurrieron en función de un proceso de reducción relativa de la morbilidad. En los hombres con edad de 75 años, todas las enfermedades estudiadas, con excepción de la enfermedad cardíaca y de la hipertensión arterial sistémica, llevaron a un proceso de expansión absoluta de la morbilidad, pero simultáneamente a un proceso de reducción relativa de la morbilidad al ser eliminadas. CONCLUSIONES: La eliminación de enfermedades crónicas en la población anciana puede llevar a una reducción de la morbilidad en hombres y mujeres ancianos

Screening Approaches for Targeting Ribonucleoprotein Complexes: A New Dimension for Drug Discovery.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are pleiotropic factors that control the processing and functional compartmentalization of transcripts by binding primarily to mRNA untranslated regions (UTRs). The competitive and/or cooperative interplay between RBPs and an array of coding and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) determines the posttranscriptional control of gene expression, influencing protein production. Recently, a variety of well-recognized and noncanonical RBP domains have been revealed by modern system-wide analyses, underlying an evolving classification of ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) and their importance in governing physiological RNA metabolism. The possibility of targeting selected RNA-protein interactions with small molecules is now expanding the concept of protein "druggability," with new implications for medicinal chemistry and for a deeper characterization of the mechanism of action of bioactive compounds. Here, taking SF3B1, HuR, LIN28, and Musashi proteins as paradigmatic case studies, we review the strategies applied for targeting RBPs, with emphasis on the technological advancements to study protein-RNA interactions and on the requirements of appropriate validation strategies to parallel high-throughput screening (HTS) efforts

Electrocardiographic RR Interval Dynamic Analysis to Identify Acute Stroke Patients at High Risk for Atrial Fibrillation Episodes During Stroke Unit Admission

Patients at short-term risk of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) often exhibit increased RR interval variability during sinus rhythm. We studied if RR dynamic analysis, applied in the first hours after stroke unit (SU) admission, identified acute ischemic stroke patients at higher risk for subsequent PAF episodes detected within the SU hospitalization. Acute ischemic stroke patients underwent continuous cardiac monitoring (CCM) using standard bedside monitors immediately after SU admission. The CCM tracks from the first 48\ua0h were analyzed using a telemedicine service (SRA clinic, Apoplex Medical, Germany). Based on the RR dynamics, the stroke risk analysis (SRA) algorithm stratified the risk for PAF as follows: low risk for PAF, high risk for PAF, presence of manifest AF. The subsequent presence/absence of PAF during the whole SU hospitalization was ruled out using all available CCMs, standard ECGs, or 24-h Holter ECGs. Two hundred patients (40% females, mean age 71\u2009\ub1\u200916\ua0years) were included. According to the initial SRA analysis, 111 patients (56%) were considered as low risk for PAF, 52 (26%) as high risk while 37 patients (18%) had manifest AF. A low-risk level SRA was associated with a reduced probability for subsequent PAF detection (1/111, 0.9%, 95% CI 0-4.3%) while a high-risk level SRA predicted an increased probability (20/52, 38.5% (95% CI 25-52%). RR dynamic analysis performed in the first hours after ischemic stroke may stratify patients into categories at low or high risk for forthcoming paroxysmal AF episodes detected within the SU hospitalization