210 research outputs found
Understanding why employers discriminate, where and against whom: The potential of cross-national, factorial and multi-group field experiments
Muslim by default or religious discrimination? Results from a cross-national field experiment on hiring discrimination
Respiratory inhibition of isolated mammalian mitochondria by salivary antifungal peptide histatin-5
Histatin-5 is a peptide secreted in the human saliva, which possesses powerful antifungal activity. Previous studies have shown that this peptide exerts its candidacidal activity, through the inhibition of both mitochondrial respiration and the formation of reactive oxygen species. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the biological consequences of histatin-5 action on mammalian mitochondria to verify if the toxic mechanism exerted on mitochondria from Candida albicans is an exclusive for fungal cells. Moreover, hypothesising that the damage exerted on mitochondria may induce programmed cellular death pathways, we evaluated two main markers of apoptosis: the mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi) and the release of cytochrome c. The results obtained show that exposure of isolated mammalian mitochondria to histatin-5 determines: (i) a large inhibition of the respiratory chain at the level of complex 1, (ii) a slight decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential, and (iii) no release of cytochrome c. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Level Statistics of XXZ Spin Chains with Discrete Symmetries: Analysis through Finite-size Effects
Level statistics is discussed for XXZ spin chains with discrete symmetries
for some values of the next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) coupling parameter. We show
how the level statistics of the finite-size systems depends on the NNN coupling
and the XXZ anisotropy, which should reflect competition among quantum chaos,
integrability and finite-size effects. Here discrete symmetries play a central
role in our analysis. Evaluating the level-spacing distribution, the spectral
rigidity and the number variance, we confirm the correspondence between
non-integrability and Wigner behavior in the spectrum. We also show that
non-Wigner behavior appears due to mixed symmetries and finite-size effects in
some nonintegrable cases.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure
Procedures for listing loci and alleles of ruminants: 1991 proposals
The following procedures for listing loci in ruminants were proposed at the 1991 1st Workshop on Genetic Nomenclature of Farm Ruminants organised by COGNOSAG (Committee on Genetic Nomenclature of Sheep and Goats): identification of locus, genomic location, gene effect classification (24 entries), summary of alleles and, for each allele, after identification, phenotypic effect, inheritance and breeds implied. This set of procedures is intended for the first edition of the MIS, MIG and MIC catalogues (mendelian inheritance in sheep, goats and cattle, respectively) and is a basis for future data banking.Au cours du premier Atelier de Nomenclature Génétique des Ruminants de Ferme organisé par le COGOVICA (Comité de Nomenclature Génétique des Ovins et Caprins) en 1991, les procédures suivantes de listage des loci chez les Ruminants ont été proposées: identification du locus, localisation sur le génome, effet du gène (24 entrées), tableau des allèles et, pour chaque allèle, outre l’identification, l’effet phénotypique, l’hérédité et les races concernées. Conçue pour être utilisée dans la première édition des catalogues MIS, MIG et MIC (Mendelian Inheritance in Sheep, Goats and Cattle resp), cette grille peut servir de base pour une future banque de données
Clinical validation of 13-Gene DNA methylation analysis from oral brushing: a non invasive sampling procedure for early detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma. A multicentric study
1. Introduction
In a recent study our research group described a non-invasive sampling procedure based on
DNA methylation analysis of a set of 13 genes with a high level of accuracy (sensitivity 96.6%,
specificity 100%) in the detection of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) [1].
The purpose of the present study was to test the diagnostic performance of this non invasive
sampling procedure in an italian multicentric study.
2. Materials and Methods
Oral brushing specimens were collected in ten different italian units of oral medicine. Each oral
medicine unit collected blindly 10 brushing specimens from patients affected by OSCC and an equal
number of age and sex-matched healthy controls. 13-gene DNA methylation analysis was performed
and each sample was considered positive or negative in relation to a predefined cut-off value.
3. Results
181 out of 200 planned specimens were analyzed. DNA could not be amplified in 4 cases (2.2%).
86/93 (92.5%) specimens derived from OSCC patients were detected as positive and 70/84 (83.3%)
specimens derived from healthy donors showed a negative score.
4. Conclusions
Data from multicentric study confirmed a high level of sensitivity of our procedure whereas
level of specificity is slightly lower if compared to our previous study. These data suggest that our
procedure may be proposed as a first level diagnostic test with the aim to avoid a diagnostic delay in
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Conflicts of Interest: As a possible conflict of interest, L. Morandi and D.B.G. submitted a patent (the applicant
is the University of Bologna) in November 2016 to the National Institute of 398 Industrial Property; however, we
believe that this is a natural step of translational research (bench-to-bedside) 399 and guarantee that the scientific
results are true. The remaining authors declare that they have no competing 400 interest
Different impact of definitions of sarcopenia in defining frailty status in a population of older women with early breast cancer
Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome characterized by losses of quantity and quality of skeletal muscle, which is associated with negative outcomes in older adults and in cancer patients. Different definitions of sarcopenia have been used, with quantitative data more frequently used in oncology, while functional measures have been advocated in the geriatric literature. Little is known about the correlation between frailty status as assessed by comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and sarcopenia in cancer patients. We retrospectively analyzed data from 96 older women with early breast cancer who underwent CGAs and Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scans for muscle mass assessment before cancer treatment at a single cancer center from 2016 to 2019 to explore the correlation between frailty status as assessed by CGA and sarcopenia using different definitions. Based on the results of the CGA, 35 patients (36.5%) were defined as frail. Using DXA Appendicular Skeletal Mass (ASM) or the Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI=ASM/heightˆ2), 41 patients were found to be sarcopenic (42.7%), with no significant difference in prevalence between frail and nonfrail subjects. Using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) definition of sarcopenia (where both muscle function and mass are required), 58 patients were classified as “probably” sarcopenic; among these, 25 were sarcopenic and 17 “severely” sarcopenic. Only 13 patients satisfied both the requirements for being defined as sarcopenic and frail. Grade 3-4 treatment-related toxicities (according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) were more common in sarcopenic and frail sarcopenic patients. Our data support the use of a definition of sarcopenia that includes both quantitative and functional data in order to identify frail patients who need tailored treatment
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