The effect of encapsulated glutamine on gut peptide secretion in human volunteers.

CONTEXT: Weight loss and improved blood glucose control after bariatric surgery have been attributed in part to increased ileal nutrient delivery with enhanced release of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Non-surgical strategies to manage obesity are required. The aim of the current study was to assess whether encapsulated glutamine, targeted to the ileum, could increase GLP-1 secretion, improve glucose tolerance or reduce meal size. METHODS: A single-center, randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study was performed in 24 healthy volunteers and 8 patients with type 2 diabetes. Fasting participants received a single dose of encapsulated ileal-release glutamine (3.6 or 6.0 g) or placebo per visit with blood sampling at baseline and for 4h thereafter. Glucose tolerance and meal size were studied using a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test and ad libitum meal respectively. RESULTS: In healthy volunteers, ingestion of 6.0 g glutamine was associated with increased GLP-1 concentrations after 90 min compared with placebo (mean 10.6 pg/ml vs 6.9 pg/ml, p=0.004), increased insulin concentrations after 90 min (mean 70.9 vs 48.5, p=0.048), and increased meal size at 120 min (mean 542 g eaten vs 481 g, p=0.008). Ingestion of 6.0 g glutamine was not associated with significant differences in GLP-1, glucose or insulin concentrations after a glucose tolerance test in healthy or type 2 diabetic participants. CONCLUSIONS: Single oral dosing of encapsulated glutamine did not provoke consistent increases in GLP-1 and insulin secretion and was not associated with beneficial metabolic effects in healthy volunteers or patients with type 2 diabetes.This project was supported by a project grant from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013; grant agreement n° 266,408) as part of a larger collaboration called Full4Health. Claire Meek receives salary funding from the Wellcome Trust Translational Medicine and Therapeutics Programme which is funded by the Wellcome Trust in association with Glaxo SmithKline. FMG and FR were funded by the Wellcome Trust (WT088357/Z/09/Z and WT084210/Z/07/Z.)This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.peptides.2015.10.00

THE CLASSICAL KARST GEOPARK

This special book, entitled „The Classical Karst geopark“, bears witness to a successful cross-border cooperation that will lead to the creation of a cross-border geopark in the Karst region. The publication is one of the results of the GeoKarst project, co-funded within the framework of the Interreg V-A Italy-Slovenia Cooperation Programme 2014-2020, while the contents produced by the Italian partners were financed by the Geological Survey of the Central Directorate for Environmental Protection, Energy and Sustainable Development of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (RAFVG). The idea of a cross-border geopark originated during the definition of the proposal of the strategic project KRAS-CARSO (Cross-border Cooperation Programme Slovenia-Italy 2007-2013) and proved to be most appropriate during its implementation. In fact, the feasibility Study on the creation of the geopark showed in technical, economic-managerial and participatory terms that the integration of the Karst area could be achieved through the creation of a cross-border geopark as a development tool for the sustainable use of resources and the well-being of the people living on the Karst Plateau. In 2015 and 2017, the 5 Slovenian and 12 Italian municipalities, which comprise the area concerned, decided to create a crossborder geopark, so that, since 2018, the Geological Survey of RAFVG (coordinator for the Italian part of the geopark) and the Municipality of Sežana (coordinator for the Slovenian part) have been intensively collaborating on the creation and management of the cross-border Karst geopark. The book describes all the main features of the Karst, which, as the “cradle” of karst studies, is of global significance from a culturalhistorical and scientific point of view. In the book you will note the frequent use of bilingual place-names and toponyms, this reflects the rich history of the area, which stands at the intersection of various cultures. Nowadays, the inhabitants of the Karst are mainly Slovenians and Italians. Slovenian language and culture in the Italian part of the Karst is covered by a law protecting the linguistic minority. Our sincere thanks go to all the contributors who have made this book possible

Comorbidities in rheumatoid arthritis: analysis of hospital discharge records

Objective: Arthritis is often associated with comorbidities. For many of them, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic pulmonary disease, and upper gastrointestinal disease, arthritis and its treatment may also represent a risk factor. This study is concerned with an evaluation of the frequency of comorbidities in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: The discharge diagnoses of patients with RA during the period 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2000 were retrieved from the database of the Department of Internal Medicine of the University of Genova, Italy. The diagnosis of RA was made if the patient's discharge record contained the code 714 of the International Classification of Diseases, IX revision, as first 3 numbers. The other diagnoses were also recorded along with demographic data, type and duration of hospital stay, and performed procedures. Results: During the study period, 427 patients with RA were admitted to the hospital for a total number of 761 admissions, which represented 2.2% of total admissions. Ninety-one (21.3%) patients did not have comorbidities, whereas 336 (78.6%) had one or more comorbidities. The most frequently observed comorbidities were cardiovascular diseases (34.6%), including hypertension (14.5%) and angina (3.5%), followed by gastrointestinal (24.5%), genito-urinary (18.7%) and respiratory (17%) diseases. There was a male predominance (p=0.004) within patients with comorbidities, who were significantly older (64.2±3.2 years vs. 57.2±4.2 years; p<0.001) and required longer periods of hospital stay (22.7 days vs. 12.5 days; p<0.001). Conclusions: Comorbidities are present in nearly 80% of RA inpatients. Comorbidity is a good predictor of health outcome, health services utilization, and medical costs. Because RA comorbidity can act as confounder, it should be considered in epidemiologic studies and clinical trials

High levels of osteopontin associated with polymorphisms in its gene are a risk factor for development of autoimmunity/lymphoproliferation

The autoimmune/lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) displays defective function of Fas, autoimmunities, lymphadenopathy/splenomegaly, and expansion of CD4/CD8 double-negative (DN) T cells. Dianzani autoimmune/lymphoproliferative disease (DALD) is an ALPS variant lacking DN cells. Both forms have been ascribed to inherited mutations hitting the Fas system but other factors may be involved. A pilot cDNA array analysis on a DALD patient detected overexpression of the cytokine osteopontin (OPN). This observation was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detection of higher OPN serum levels in DALD patients (n = 25) than in controls (n = 50). Analysis of the OPN cDNA identified 4 polymorphisms forming 3 haplotypes (A, B, and C). Their overall distribution and genotypic combinations were different in patients (N = 26) and controls (N = 158) (P <.01). Subjects carrying haplotype B and/or C had an 8-fold higher risk of developing DALD than haplotype A homozygotes. Several data suggest that these haplotypes influence OPN levels: (1) in DALD families, high levels cosegregated with haplotype B or C; (2) in healthy controls, haplotype B or C carriers displayed higher levels than haplotype A homozygotes; and (3) in AB and AC heterozygotes, mRNA for haplotype B or C was more abundant than that for haplotype A. In vitro, exogenous OPN decreased activation-induced T-cell death, which suggests that high OPN levels are involved in the apoptosis defect

The discovery of the southernmost ultra-high-resolution Holocene paleoclimate sedimentary record in Antarctica

The response of the Antarctic ice sheet to climate warming is the main source of uncertainty regarding future global sea level rise, since little is known about its present and past dynamics. The last deglaciation is the most recent interval of large-scale climate warming, during which the Northern and Southern Hemisphere ice sheets retreated, and sea level rose globally, although at a non-uniform rate. Geologic records from the polar regions are fundamental in determining the factors that caused the major changes in ice sheets during the last deglacial under different boundary conditions. Here, we combine morpho-bathymetric and seismic data with sediment cores and oceanographic measurements to reconstruct the processes that influenced the deposition of the southernmost, most extensive, ultrahigh-resolution record of the Holocene in Edisto Inlet fjord (Ross Sea, Antarctica). We find that post-glacial sedimentation resulted in a layered diatom mud up to 110 m thick that was locally redistributed by bottom currents over confined drifts-moats in the central part of the fjord. After the Holocene climatic optimum, the fjord was not carved by ground ice, and there continued to be internal fjord water circulation associated with Ross Sea circulation. These results support a retreat of coastal glaciers by about 11 kiloyears ago (ka) from the continental shelf of North Victoria Land

Alpine ethnobotany in Italy: traditional knowledge of gastronomic and medicinal plants among the Occitans of the upper Varaita valley, Piedmont

A gastronomic and medical ethnobotanical study was conducted among the Occitan communities living in Blins/Bellino and Chianale, in the upper Val Varaita, in the Piedmontese Alps, North-Western Italy, and the traditional uses of 88 botanical taxa were recorded. Comparisons with and analysis of other ethnobotanical studies previously carried out in other Piemontese and surrounding areas, show that approximately one fourth of the botanical taxa quoted in this survey are also known in other surrounding Occitan valleys. It is also evident that traditional knowledge in the Varaita valley has been heavily eroded. This study also examined the local legal framework for the gathering of botanical taxa, and the potential utilization of the most quoted medicinal and food wild herbs in the local market, and suggests that the continuing widespread local collection from the wild of the aerial parts of Alpine wormwood for preparing liqueurs (Artemisia genipi, A. glacialis, and A. umbelliformis) should be seriously reconsidered in terms of sustainability, given the limited availability of these species, even though their collection is culturally salient in the entire study area

GEOPARK KRAS

Knjiga z naslovom »Geopark Kras« je poseben izdelek, saj priča o uspešnem čezmejnem sodelovanju, katerega skupni rezultat bo rojstvo čezmejnega geoparka na matičnem Krasu. Knjigo smo pripravili v projektu GeoKarst, ki je sofinanciran v okviru Programa sodelovanja Interreg V-A Italija - Slovenija 2014–2020. Knjigo je sofinancirala tudi Geološka služba Centralne direkcije za varstvo okolja, energijo in trajnostni razvoj Avtonomne Dežele Furlanije - Julijske krajine (ADFJK). Ideja o čezmejnem geoparku se je porodila ob pripravi strateškega projekta KRAS-CARSO (Program čezmejnega sodelovanja Slovenija - Italija 2007–2013). V teku projekta se je izkazala za ustrezno, saj je bilo v Študiji izvedljivosti vzpostavitve geoparka na Krasu s strokovnega, ekonomsko-upravljavskega in participativnega vidika ugotovljeno, da bo povezovanje homogenega območja Krasa doseženo z vzpostavitvijo čezmejnega geoparka - kot razvojnega orodja za trajnostno rabo virov v dobrobit ljudi, ki živijo na čezmejni planoti Krasa

Il Geoparco del Carso Classico

Questo speciale libro, intitolato „Il geoparco del Carso Classico“ testimonia il successo della cooperazione transfrontaliera che porterà all‘istituzione di un geoparco transfrontaliero sul Carso. La pubblicazione è uno dei risultati del progetto GeoKarst, cofinanziato nell‘ambito del Programma di Cooperazione Interreg V-A Italia- Slovenia 2014-2020, ed è inoltre frutto dell‘impegno, anche finanziario, del Servizio geologico della Direzione centrale difesa dell‘ambiente, energia e sviluppo sostenibile della Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia (RAFVG). L‘idea di creare un geoparco transfrontaliero è nata in fase di definizione della proposta per il progetto strategico KRAS-CARSO (Programma di cooperazione transfrontaliera Slovenia-Italia 2007- 2013) rivelandosi, nel corso di attuazione dello stesso, quanto più appropriata. Lo studio di fattibilità sull‘istituzione del geoparco ha infatti evidenziato in termini tecnici, economico-gestionali e partecipativi che l‘integrazione dell‘area carsica potrà essere raggiunta con questo strumento di sviluppo per un uso sostenibile delle risorse e il benessere delle persone che vivono sull‘altopiano del Carso. Nel 2015 e nel 2017 i 5 Comuni sloveni e i 12 italiani, che comprendono l‘area di interesse, hanno formalmente deciso di istituire un geoparco transfrontaliero, tanto che dal 2018 il Servizio geologico RAFVG (coordinatore per la parte italiana) e il Comune di Sežana (coordinatore per la parte slovena) stanno collaborando intensamente per l‘istituzione e la sua gestione. Nel libro sono descritte tutte le principali caratteristiche del Carso che, quale „culla“ dello studio del carsismo, riveste rilevanza mondiale da un punto di vista storico-culturale e scientifico. Come vi capiterà di leggere nel libro, i toponimi nel Carso hanno dicitura bilingue nata dalla lunga storia dell‘Altipiano, area di incontro tra diverse culture. Al giorno d‘oggi, gli abitanti del Carso sono principalmente sloveni e italiani. La lingua e la cultura slovena, nella parte italiana del Carso, è sostenuta dalla legge di tutela delle minoranze linguistiche storiche. Un sentito ringraziamento va a tutti coloro che hanno reso possibile la realizzazione di questo testo

Impact of dense-water flow over a sloping bottom on open-sea circulation: Laboratory experiments and an Ionian Sea (Mediterranean) example

The North Ionian Gyre (NIG) displays prominent inversions on decadal scales. We investigate the role of internal forcing induced by changes in the horizontal pressure gradient due to the varying density of Adriatic Deep Water (AdDW), which spreads into the deep layers of the northern Ionian Sea. In turn, the AdDW density fluctuates according to the circulation of the NIG through a feedback mechanism known as the bimodal oscillating system. We set up laboratory experiments with a two-layer ambient fluid in a circular rotating tank, where densities of 1000 and 1015ĝ€¯kgĝ€¯m-3 characterize the upper and lower layers, respectively. From the potential vorticity evolution during the dense-water outflow from a marginal sea, we analyze the response of the open-sea circulation to the along-slope dense-water flow. In addition, we show some features of the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies that form in the upper layer over the slope area. We illustrate the outcome of the experiments of varying density and varying discharge rates associated with dense-water injection. When the density is high (1020ĝ€¯kgĝ€¯m-3) and the discharge is large, the kinetic energy of the mean flow is stronger than the eddy kinetic energy. Conversely, when the density is lower (1010ĝ€¯kgĝ€¯m-3) and the discharge is reduced, vortices are more energetic than the mean flow - that is, the eddy kinetic energy is larger than the kinetic energy of the mean flow. In general, over the slope, following the onset of dense-water injection, the cyclonic vorticity associated with current shear develops in the upper layer. The vorticity behaves in a two-layer fashion, thereby becoming anticyclonic in the lower layer of the slope area. Concurrently, over the deep flat-bottom portion of the basin, a large-scale anticyclonic gyre forms in the upper layer extending partly toward a sloping rim. The density record shows the rise of the pycnocline due to the dense-water sinking toward the flat-bottom portion of the tank. We show that the rate of increase in the anticyclonic potential vorticity is proportional to the rate of the rise of the interface, namely to the rate of decrease in the upper-layer thickness (i.e., the upper-layer squeezing). The comparison of laboratory experiments with the Ionian Sea is made for a situation when the sudden switch from cyclonic to anticyclonic basin-wide circulation took place following extremely dense Adriatic water overflow after the harsh winter in 2012. We show how similar the temporal evolution and the vertical structure are in both laboratory and oceanic conditions. The demonstrated similarity further supports the assertion that the wind-stress curl over the Ionian Sea is not of paramount importance in generating basin-wide circulation inversions compared with the internal forcing