GALNT2 mRNA levels are associated with serum triglycerides in humans

Atherogenic dyslipidemia, characterized by high triglycerides (TG) and low high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels, is a feature of patients with insulin resistance, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) [1] and plays a major role in shaping the risk of cardiovascular disease. Both TG and HDL-cholesterol serum concentrations are under the control of both environmental factors and up to 95 genetic loci, unraveled by a very large genome-wide association study (GWAs) in approximately 100,000 individuals [2]. Among these loci is GALNT2, which encode for ppGal-NAc-T2, involved in O-linked glycosylation. Similarly, studies in rodents have shown that liver GALNT2 expression modulates HDL-cholesterol concentrations [2]. Based on such studies, it is conceivable that GALNT2 expression changes play a role on TG and/or HDL-cholesterol levels. To gain further insights about this hypothesis, GALNT2 expression was measured in peripheral white blood cells (PWBC), from 224 individuals with a wide range of TG and HDL-cholesterol levels, as well as other metabolic parameters and clinical conditions

The acquisition of foreign ideas and images in the Phoenician-Punic Pottery from Tas-Silġ, Malta

The paper aims at providing an overview of the production of vessel forms, originating from prototypes coming from outside of the Maltese Archipelago between the 8th and the 5th c. BC. Most recent studies on this topic highlight the presence, common to all Phoenician sites in the central and western Mediterranean, of originals, copies, and adaptations of ceramic forms external to local productions. The phenomenon within Maltese pottery production, although present, appears less direct, especially in reference to the introduction of morphological characters typical of Greek ceramics; in fact, at the current state of research, there are no real imitations of Greek pottery, present instead in other Phoenician-Punic sites in the Mediterranean Sea (e.g., the black glazed cups). The adaptation of foreign shape and decoration is analysed through the data regarding a considerable amount of pottery discovered in a dump context in the sanctuary of Astarte in Tas-Silġ (Malta), dated between the second half of the 8th c. BC and the end of the 2nd c. BC. This wide chronological range allows to examine the acquisition and elaboration of ideas and images in the local manufacturing process and lifestyle in a diachronic way.Il contributo intende fornire uno sguardo sul fenomeno della produzione di forme vascolari derivate da originali allogeni nell’arcipelago maltese tra VIII e V sec. a.C. Gli studi più recenti su tale argomento mettono in evidenza la presenza, comune a tutti i siti fenici del Mediterraneo centrale ed occidentale, di originali, copie e adattamenti di forme ceramiche esterne alle produzioni locali. Il fenomeno all’interno della produzione ceramica maltese, seppur presente, appare meno diretto, soprattutto in riferimento all’introduzione di caratteri morfologici tipici della ceramica greca; difatti, allo stato attuale della ricerca, mancano vere e proprie imitazioni della ceramica greca, presenti invece negli altri siti. Il fenomeno di adattamento, invece, è analizzato partendo dai dati provenienti dallo studio di un vasto contesto di scarico del santuario di Astarte a Tas Silġ, datato tra la seconda metà dell’VIII sec. a.C. e la fine del II sec. a.C., il cui ampio arco cronologico permette di esaminare in maniera diacronica la ricezione e la rielaborazione di idee e di immagini nel processo produttivo locale

Il sistema delle RSA in Toscana: mappatura e valutazione I risultati dell'indagine di clima interno 2012

Nel corso del secondo semestre del 2011, la Direzione Generale Diritti di Cittadinanza e Coesione Sociale della Regione Toscana ha affidato al Labortorio MeS l’analisi delle determinanti della variabilità esistente tra i territori e le strutture per anziani, sia in termini di tipologia e qualità dei servizi offerti, sia, sul versante dei costi, per ciò che riguarda le quote sociali richieste ai cittadini utenti e le ricadute in termini di equità. Mutuando dall’esperienza maturata nella valutazione delle Aziende sanitarie, è stata realizzata la mappatura di 64 RSA ed è stato elaborato un sistema di valutazione multidimensionale delle performance delle RSA toscane basato su indicatori quantitativi. Il presente report raccoglie i risultati delle indagini di clima interno attinenti alla dimensione del Benessere organizzativo che sono stati utilizzati per la costruzione degli indicatori di performance confluiti nel bersaglio di ciascuna struttura

Role of body weight and sex in the olfactory and gustatory pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity of a lipid‐rich food

Abstract In this study, the role of sex and body weight in the olfactory and gustatory dimensions (pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity) of mullet cured roes, a marine rich-fat food with peculiar sensory attributes, was evaluated. One hundred seventy-seven participants were enrolled. Positive correlations were observed between all food taste and odor dimensions. Women reported a significantly higher odor and taste intensity ratings than men. Multivariate linear regression analyses evidenced that body weight in women was negatively correlated to the food odor and taste pleasantness and positively correlated to odor intensity. These negative correlations were due to different women gustatory performance in relation to body weight. A significantly lower perception of salty and bitter taste was observed in women with a body weight >60 kg compared to those with a body weight ≤60 kg. Our results underline the important role of sex and body weight in the food products sensory evaluation

Gastric emptying, small intestinal transit and fecal output in dystrophic (mdx) mice

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), which results from deficiency in dystrophin, a sarcolemma protein of skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle, is characterized by progressive striated muscle degeneration, but various gastrointestinal clinical manifestations have been observed. The aim was to evaluate the possible impact of the dystrophin loss on the gastrointestinal propulsion in mdx mice (animal model for DMD). The gastric emptying of a carboxymethyl cellulose/phenol red dye non-nutrient meal was not significantly different at 20 min from gavaging between wild-type and mdx mice. The intestinal transit and the fecal output were significantly decreased in mdx versus normal animals, although the length of the intestine was similar in both animals. The present results provide evidence for motor intestinal alterations in mdx mice in in vivo conditions

Mutual learning exercise on citizen science initiatives: policy and practice. Second thematic report: ensuring good practices and impacts

This publication provides a summary of the Mutual Learning Exercise on Good Practices on Citizen Science and their Impact. This document starts by presenting the examples of successful CS national projects chosen by the 11 countries participating in the MLE, and the variables against which the projects were analysed. Chapter 2 summarises the results related to challenges & mitigation strategies with the implementation of CS projects. Chapter 3 analyses the examples of CS networks and centres of expertise and presents the current state of national funding opportunities that were provided by the 11 participating countries in the MLE. Chapter 4 provides recommendations which cover a range of potential actions targeting different aspects discussed during the workshop sessions to better implement and especially support CS initiatives and projects and overcome the detected barriers. The document concludes with Chapter 5 which briefly explains the next MLE topic sessions

EMT/MET at the crossroad of stemness, regeneration and oncogenesis. The Ying-Yang equilibrium recapitulated in cell spheroids

The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an essential trans-differentiation process, which plays a critical role in embryonic development, wound healing, tissue regeneration, organ fibrosis, and cancer progression. It is the fundamental mechanism by which epithelial cells lose many of their characteristics while acquiring features typical of mesenchymal cells, such as migratory capacity and invasiveness. Depending on the contest, EMT is complemented and balanced by the reverse process, the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET). In the saving economy of the living organisms, the same (Ying-Yang) tool is integrated as a physiological strategy in embryonic development, as well as in the course of reparative or disease processes, prominently fibrosis, tumor invasion and metastasis. These mechanisms and their related signaling (e.g., TGF-β and BMPs) have been effectively studied in vitro by tissue-derived cell spheroids models. These three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems, whose phenotype has been shown to be strongly dependent on TGF-β-regulated EMT/MET processes, present the advantage of recapitulating in vitro the hypoxic in vivo micro-environment of tissue stem cell niches and their formation. These spheroids, therefore, nicely reproduce the finely regulated Ying-Yang equilibrium, which, together with other mechanisms, can be determinant in cell fate decisions in many pathophysiological scenarios, such as differentiation, fibrosis, regeneration, and oncogenesis. In this review, current progress in the knowledge of signaling pathways affecting EMT/MET and stemness regulation will be outlined by comparing data obtained from cellular spheroids systems, as ex vivo niches of stem cells derived from normal and tumoral tissues. The mechanistic correspondence in vivo and the possible pharmacological perspective will be also explored, focusing especially on the TGF-β-related networks, as well as others, such as SNAI1, PTEN, and EGR1. This latter, in particular, for its ability to convey multiple types of stimuli into relevant changes of the cell transcriptional program, can be regarded as a heterogeneous "stress-sensor" for EMT-related inducers (growth factor, hypoxia, mechano-stress), and thus as a therapeutic target