Unusual HLA typing in celiac disease.

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Nutritional status of children, inmates of a small institution for homeless children in the capital of the State of S. Paulo, Brazil

Nutritional surveys (food consumption, clinical and biochemichal) were conducted in a small institution for homeless children. Results showed that only 30% of the children presented adequate calorie intake. Most of the children presented adequate protein intake, but almost half consumed less than 2/3 of the calcium RDA considered necessary. Food handling, processing, and distribution also proved inadequate and wastage, high. Skinfold measurement showed up one case of obesity. Furthermore, most of the children presented clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency, mostly skin lesions; while about half presented clinical signs of riboflavin deficiency. Biochemical data showed that 63.6% had deficient plasma levels of vitamin A, none showed abnormal results for riboflavin excretion, four showed packed blood cell volume below normal, and all had normal hemoglobin levels. Stool examinations revealed a high rate of pathogenic protozoa (Hymenolepis nana), in fact, one of the highest in Brazilian literature.Foram realizados, em um pequeno orfanato, inquéritos nutricionais (alimentar, clínico e bioquímico) cujos resultados mostraram que 30% das crianças tinham ingestão inadequada de calorias, metade ingestão inadequada de cálcio e todas ingestão adequada de proteínas. A manipulação, o processamento e a distribuição dos alimentos eram inadequados e o desperdício era alto. Mais da metade das crianças apresentaram peso abaixo dos padrões, mas a maioria estava acima de 90% para altura, segundo idade. A medida da prega cutânea revelou apenas uma criança obesa. Com relação à vitamina A, a maioria das crianças revelou sinais clínicos atribuíveis à hipovitaminose A, predominantemente sinais cutâneos. Cerca de metade dos examinados revelou sinais de arriboflavinose. Foi baixo o número de crianças que apresentaram sinais clínicos de carência de proteína, ferro e ácido ascórbico. Os dados bioquímicos revelaram que 63,6% das crianças apresentavam níveis séricos abaixo do normal, enquanto que todas apresentaram excreção normal de riboflavina. Com relação à anemia, apenas 4 crianças apresentaram hematócrito abaixo do normal mas todas apresentaram níveis normais de hemoglobina. Os exames de fezes mostraram coeficientes altos para protozoários e Hymenolepis nana, um dos mais altos da literatura brasileira

Improved understanding of dynamic water and mass budgets of high‐alpine karst systems obtained from studying a well‐defined catchment area

Large areas of Europe, especially in the Alps, are covered by carbonate rocks and in many alpine regions, karst springs are important sources for drinking water supply. Because of their high variability and heterogeneity, the understanding of the hydrogeological functioning of karst aquifers is of particular importance for their protection and utilisation. Climate change and heavy rainfall events are major challenges in managing alpine karst aquifers which possess an enormous potential for future drinking water supply. In this study, we present research from a high‐alpine karst system in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Großes Walsertal in Austria, which has a clearly defined catchment and is drained by only one spring system. Results show that (a) the investigated system is a highly dynamic karst aquifer with distinct reactions to rainfall events in discharge and electrical conductivity; (b) the estimated transient atmospheric CO2 sink is about 270 t/a; (c) the calculated carbonate rock denudation rate is between 23 and 47 mm/1000a and (d) the rainfall‐discharge behaviour and the internal flow dynamics can be successfully simulated using the modelling package KarstMod. The modelling results indicate the relevance of matrix storage in determining the discharge behaviour of the spring, particularly during low‐flow periods. This research and the consequent results can contribute and initiate a better understanding and management of alpine karst aquifers considering climate change with more heavy rainfall events and also longer dry periods.The investigated karst system contributes to the transient atmospheric CO2 sink with about 270 t/a. Carbonate denudation rates vary between 23 and 47 mm/1000a. Rainfall‐discharge modelling results indicate the importance of matrix storage particularly during low‐flow periods. imageBundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347FP7 People: Marie‐Curie Actions http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/10001126

INFN What Next: Ultra-relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

This document was prepared by the community that is active in Italy, within INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare), in the field of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The experimental study of the phase diagram of strongly-interacting matter and of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) deconfined state will proceed, in the next 10-15 years, along two directions: the high-energy regime at RHIC and at the LHC, and the low-energy regime at FAIR, NICA, SPS and RHIC. The Italian community is strongly involved in the present and future programme of the ALICE experiment, the upgrade of which will open, in the 2020s, a new phase of high-precision characterisation of the QGP properties at the LHC. As a complement of this main activity, there is a growing interest in a possible future experiment at the SPS, which would target the search for the onset of deconfinement using dimuon measurements. On a longer timescale, the community looks with interest at the ongoing studies and discussions on a possible fixed-target programme using the LHC ion beams and on the Future Circular Collider.Comment: 99 pages, 56 figure

Measles in Italy: Viral strains and crossing borders

In 2017, Italy experienced one of the largest outbreaks of measles in recent years, with 5404 notified cases and 4347 confirmed cases. A further 2029 cases were notified during the first 6 months of 2018, and 1516 of them were laboratory-confirmed. The B3 and D8 genotypes were identified as those responsible for the outbreak. Possible transmission routes can be established by monitoring the circulating measles virus strains in support of the national health authorities to warn people and travellers

Human RSPO1/R-spondin1 Is Expressed during Early Ovary Development and Augments β-Catenin Signaling

Human testis development starts from around 42 days post conception with a transient wave of SRY expression followed by up-regulation of testis specific genes and a distinct set of morphological, paracrine and endocrine events. Although anatomical changes in the ovary are less marked, a distinct sub-set of ovary specific genes are also expressed during this time. The furin-domain containing peptide R-spondin1 (RSPO1) has recently emerged as an important regulator of ovary development through up-regulation of the WNT/β-catenin pathway to oppose testis formation. Here, we show that RSPO1 is upregulated in the ovary but not in the testis during critical early stages of gonad development in humans (between 6–9 weeks post conception), whereas the expression of the related genes WNT4 and CTNNB1 (encoding β catenin) is not significantly different between these tissues. Furthermore, reduced R-spondin1 function in the ovotestis of an individual (46,XX) with a RSPO1 mutation leads to reduced β-catenin protein and WNT4 mRNA levels, consistent with down regulation of ovarian pathways. Transfection of wild-type RSPO1 cDNA resulted in weak dose-dependent activation of a β-catenin responsive TOPFLASH reporter (1.8 fold maximum), whereas co-transfection of CTNNB1 (encoding β-catenin) with RSPO1 resulted in dose-dependent synergistic augmentation of this reporter (approximately 10 fold). Furthermore, R-spondin1 showed strong nuclear localization in several different cell lines. Taken together, these data show that R-spondin1 is upregulated during critical stages of early human ovary development and may function as a tissue-specific amplifier of β-catenin signaling to oppose testis determination