Metabolic syndrome, diabetes and atherosclerosis: Influence of gene-environment interaction

Despite remarkable progress in diagnosis and understanding of risk factors, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains still the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world\u27s developed countries. The metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors (visceral obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension), is increasingly being recognized as a new risk factor for type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, there is wide variation in both the occurrence of disease and age of onset, even in individuals who display very similar risk profiles. There is now compelling evidence that a complex interplay between genetic determinants and environmental factors (still largely unknown) is the reason for this large inter-individual variation in disease susceptibility. The purpose of the present review is to describe the current status of our knowledge concerning the gene-environment interactions potentially implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It focuses predominantly on studies of genes (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, alcohol dehydrogenase type 1C, apolipoprotein E, glutathione S-transferases T1 and M1) that are known to be modified by dietary and lifestyle habits (fat diet, intake of alcohol and smoking habit). It also describes the limited current understanding of the role of genetic variants of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and their interactions with environmental toxicants. Additional studies are needed in order to clarify whether inter-individual differences in detoxification of environmental toxicants may have an essential role in the development of CVD and contribute to the emerging field of "environmental cardiology". Such knowledge may be particularly relevant for improving cardiovascular risk stratification and conceiving the development of "personalized intervention program"

De pulsiones y autodeterminaciones : algunas reflexiones sobre Sigmund Freud y El Malestar en la cultura

Text escrit en motiu de la taula rodona "El malestar en la civilització: un seriós avís sobre les possibilitats de la felicitat humana" celebrada a la Biblioteca de Ciències Socials (UAB) el 6 de maig de 201

What the Person Brings to the Table: Personality, Coping, and Work–Family Conflict

Employees (N = 291) of various industries and companies were surveyed to study how individual factors (coping and personality) affect work–family conflict: strain-based work-to-family conflict (S-WFC), time-based work-to-family conflict (T-WFC), strain-based family-to-work conflict (S-FWC), and time-based family-to-work conflict (T-FWC). As expected, passive coping was related to significantly higher levels of S-WFC, S-FWC, and T-FWC. Unexpectedly, active coping was related to higher levels of S-WFC. As hypothesized, social support coping was negatively related to work–family conflict, but only for T-WFC. Venting was positively related to S-WFC. As predicted, neuroticism was positively related to S-WFC, T-WFC, and S-FWC. Passive coping mediated the positive relationship between neuroticism and S-FWC. Neither internal locus of control nor extraversion was related to work–family conflict. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed

Health Risk and Biological Effects of Cardiac Ionising Imaging: From Epidemiology to Genes

Cardiac diagnostic or therapeutic testing is an essential tool for diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, but it also involves considerable exposure to ionizing radiation. Every exposure produces a corresponding increase in cancer risk, and risks are highest for radiation exposure during infancy and adolescence. Recent studies on chromosomal biomarkers corroborate the current radioprotection assumption showing that even modest radiation load due to cardiac catheter-based fluoroscopic procedures can damage the DNA of the cell. In this article, we review the biological and clinical risks of cardiac imaging employing ionizing radiation. We also discuss the perspectives offered by the use of molecular biomarkers in order to better assess the long-term development of health effects

Geografia e storia nei territori sensibili: rischio, emergenza e memoria: prove di dialogo

Si vuole esplorare il significato nella pratica di alcune parole chiave quali cambiamento, collasso, emergenza, memoria, rischio e la loro eventuale capacità di esplicitare i nessi tra geografia e storia nei territori sensibili. Per i sapere non esperti, la nozione di rischio diventa cangiante: declinata al passato in forma di mitografia o respinta e scomoda declinazione del futuro, al presente tende a perdere un significato proprio per scivolare nel campo semantico dell'emergenza. Questa coniugazione produce azioni, nell'unità di spazio-temporale del disastro, che appartengono all'emergenza: depotenziata di un passato irripetibile e di un futuro incerto, si configura quale potente veicolo del potere, avendo liberato le decisioni dalle procedure necessarie per la verifica della opportunità tecnica e del consenso consapevole. Nei "casi di emergenza" si riduce la relazione decisionale con gli abitanti coinvolti; il coordinamento e la gestione assumono forme autoritative e astratte, inconsapevoli della soglia di sopportabilità del rischio da parte delle popolazioni. L'efficienza dell'intervento di prima istanza non corrisponde alla efficacia nella media durata laddove l'azione pubblica non orienta le possibili scelte e non ne supporta i processi attuativi e adattivi.Our intention is to explore the practical meaning of certain key-words such as change, collapse, emergency, memory and risk, and how they may explain the links between the geography and history of sensitive areas. For non-experts, the notion of risk is many-faceted: when declined in a past sense as a myth, or a rejected, inconvenient declination of the future, in the present, it loses its intrinsic meaning and comes to refer to an emergency. This conjugation produces actions, within the space and time of the disaster, which are proper to the emergency: its unrepeatable past weakened and with an uncertain future, it emerges as a forceful vehicle of power, which takes all the decisions and enforces the procedures necessary for assessing technical necessities and conscious consensus. In "cases of emergency", the inhabitants involved are deprived of their part in decision-making, while the management of the emergency takes on an abstract and authoritarian form and seems unable to sense the threshold of tolerance of risk of the population. The immediate intervention is seen to be effective, but not in the mid-term, where public action does not take into account the possible alternatives or sustain the local people in their attempt to adapt.Peer Reviewe

A detailed protocol for RNA cleavage assay in sympathetic neurons

This protocol illustrates the use of an in vitro assay to study the cleavage of the IMPA1 3′UTR by the endonuclease Ago2 in sympathetic neurons. The procedure includes the preparation of cytoplasmic protein extracts and also describes the synthesis and labeling of the RNA probe. The protocol can be applied to other cell systems, RNA transcripts, and endonucleases to confirm the role of known cleavage site(s) and cleavage proteins, or to investigate new ones. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Andreassi et al. (2021)

Genetic Polymorphisms of the Natriuretic Peptide System in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Disease: What Lies on the Horizon?

BACKGROUND: The natriuretic peptide hormone family includes various proteins characterized by similar chemical structure and shared biological functions, with important effects on the cardiovascular system. Accordingly, these molecules are widely recognized as key clinical biomarkers in the diagnosis and monitoring of heart failure, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. CONTENT: Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been recently identified in genes associated with the natriuretic system. This review provides an overview of new insights into the functional role of these genetic variants, as well as their impact on cardiovascular physiopathology and drug response. CONCLUSIONS: Noteworthy relationships between some specific polymorphisms and clinical correlates of cardiovascular disease have emerged. Nevertheless, future confirming studies are needed to substantiate the clinical relevance of such variants

THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY INCUBATORS IN STIMULATING ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Many Brazilian universities have technology-based incubators, but there is a small presence of firms created by students, alumni or teachers (spin-offs). Thus, such incubators do not encourage the transfer of technologies developed in universities to society, through the creation of new businesses, one of the main ways of university-industry interaction. To test this assumption, we studied eight university incubators. As a theoretical basis, we used the concepts of open innovation and entrepreneurial university; as a methodology, we adopted a qualitative approach through the use of bibliographical, documental and field research, with in-depth interviews. Results show that there is no priority for companies created from academic research results, despite the incubators’ preference for projects that have a high potential for interaction with the university. Also, there are few efforts to attract the academic audience, which leads to underutilization of this important channel for the transfer of research results

El archivo y la biblioteca en casa : las bases de datos de historia y cómo acceder a ellas

El artículo ofrece una selección cualitativa y comentada de bases de datos útiles para historiadores y se divide en dos secciones: 1. bases de datos ofrecidas por la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona y 2. bases de datos de acceso libre o de pago.L'article ofereix una selecció qualitativa i comentada de bases de dades útils per a historiadors i es divideix en dues seccions: 1. bases de dades oferides per la Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona i 2. bases de dades d'accés lliure o de pagament.The article offers a qualitative and commented selection of data bases for historians. It is divided in two parts: 1. Data bases offers by UAB and 2. Data bases free or payment