HUMAN ICONOGRAPHY AND IDENTITIES ON CRETE AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE 1ST MILLENIUM BC: THE SMALL COLUMNAR FIGURINES FROM PRINIÀS

At the beginning of this paper, the Protogeometric Cretan framework of the small anthropomorphic coroplastic is briefly taken into account. The number of figurines, as well as the peculiarities of the archaeological contexts, lead one reconsider the otherwise widespread interpretation of the fading figurative tradition as the outcome of a shift in ritual practices taking place during the Bronze Age/Iron Age transition. In addition, by looking at the variety of the stylistic features, speculation regarding the existence of at least three major styles possibly reflecting the fragmentation and exuberance of the Cretan societies combined with a mixing of internal trends and exogenous influences ensues.Subsequently, the attention shifts to the evidence retrieved from the settlement of Priniàs, whose iconographic and contextual analysis seem to underpin the idea of a lively PG horizon and some continuity of a kind regarding the LM ritual value of some of the areas on the Patela. Finally, by pondering the rather homogeneous iconographic and stylistic features of the columnar figurines the possibility of linking their occurrence with two ritual settings is investigated. These settings, which are apparently characterized by a Mycenaean aura, are considered as the expression of a rising aristocratic hierarchy within a social body showing a rather coherent and homogeneous cultural background

Mutant MYO1F alters the mitochondrial network and induces tumor proliferation in thyroid cancer

Familial aggregation is a significant risk factor for the development of thyroid cancer and Familial Non-Medullary Thyroid Cancer (FNMTC) accounts for 5-7% of all NMTC. Whole Exome Sequencing analysis in the family affected by FNMTC with oncocytic features where our group previously identified a predisposing locus on chromosome 19p13.2, revealed a novel heterozygous mutation (c.400G>A, NM_012335; p.Gly134Ser) in exon 5 of MYO1F, mapping to the linkage locus. In the thyroid FRTL-5 cell model stably expressing the mutant MYO1F p.Gly134Ser protein we observed an altered mitochondrial network, with increased mitochondrial mass and a significant increase of both intracellular and extracellular Reactive Oxygen Species, compared to cells expressing the wild-type protein or carrying the empty vector. The mutation conferred a significant advantage in colony formation, invasion and anchorage independent growth. These data were corroborated by in vivo studies in zebrafish, since we demonstrated that the mutant MYO1F p.Gly134Ser, when overexpressed, can induce proliferation in whole vertebrate embryos, compared to the wild-type one. MYO1F screening in additional 192 FNMTC families identified another variant in exon 7, which leads to exon skipping, and is predicted to alter the ATP-binding domain in MYO1F. Our study identified for the first time a role for MYO1F in NMTC. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Routes of dispersion of antibiotic resistance genes from the poultry farm system

Poultry farms are hotspots for the development and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), due to high stocking densities and extensive use of antibiotics, posing a threat of spread and contagion to workers and the external environment. Here, we applied shotgun metagenome sequencing to characterize the gut microbiome and resistome of poultry, workers and their households - also including microbiomes from the internal and external farm environment – in three different farms in Italy during a complete rearing cycle. Our results highlighted a relevant overlap among the microbiomes of poultry, workers, and their families (gut and skin), with clinically relevant ARGs and associated mobile elements shared in both poultry and human samples. On a finer scale, the reconstruction of species-level genome bins (SGBs) allowed us to delineate the dynamics of microorganism and ARGs dispersion from farm systems. We found the associations with worker microbiomes representing the main route of ARGs dispersion from poultry to human populations. Collectively, our findings clearly demonstrate the urgent need to implement more effective procedures to counteract ARGs dispersion from poultry food systems and the relevance of metagenomics-based metacommunity approaches to monitor the ARGs dispersion process for the safety of the working environment on farms

Resources and tools for rare disease variant interpretation

: Collectively, rare genetic disorders affect a substantial portion of the world's population. In most cases, those affected face difficulties in receiving a clinical diagnosis and genetic characterization. The understanding of the molecular mechanisms of these diseases and the development of therapeutic treatments for patients are also challenging. However, the application of recent advancements in genome sequencing/analysis technologies and computer-aided tools for predicting phenotype-genotype associations can bring significant benefits to this field. In this review, we highlight the most relevant online resources and computational tools for genome interpretation that can enhance the diagnosis, clinical management, and development of treatments for rare disorders. Our focus is on resources for interpreting single nucleotide variants. Additionally, we present use cases for interpreting genetic variants in clinical settings and review the limitations of these results and prediction tools. Finally, we have compiled a curated set of core resources and tools for analyzing rare disease genomes. Such resources and tools can be utilized to develop standardized protocols that will enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of rare disease diagnosis

<scp>ReSurveyEurope</scp>: A database of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe

AbstractAimsWe introduce ReSurveyEurope — a new data source of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe, compiled by a collaborative network of vegetation scientists. We describe the scope of this initiative, provide an overview of currently available data, governance, data contribution rules, and accessibility. In addition, we outline further steps, including potential research questions.ResultsReSurveyEurope includes resurveyed vegetation plots from all habitats. Version 1.0 of ReSurveyEurope contains 283,135 observations (i.e., individual surveys of each plot) from 79,190 plots sampled in 449 independent resurvey projects. Of these, 62,139 (78%) are permanent plots, that is, marked in situ, or located with GPS, which allow for high spatial accuracy in resurvey. The remaining 17,051 (22%) plots are from studies in which plots from the initial survey could not be exactly relocated. Four data sets, which together account for 28,470 (36%) plots, provide only presence/absence information on plant species, while the remaining 50,720 (64%) plots contain abundance information (e.g., percentage cover or cover–abundance classes such as variants of the Braun‐Blanquet scale). The oldest plots were sampled in 1911 in the Swiss Alps, while most plots were sampled between 1950 and 2020.ConclusionsReSurveyEurope is a new resource to address a wide range of research questions on fine‐scale changes in European vegetation. The initiative is devoted to an inclusive and transparent governance and data usage approach, based on slightly adapted rules of the well‐established European Vegetation Archive (EVA). ReSurveyEurope data are ready for use, and proposals for analyses of the data set can be submitted at any time to the coordinators. Still, further data contributions are highly welcome.</jats:sec

Il rischio tromboembolico in oncologia ortopedica: esperienza dell’Istituto Rizzoli in 981 pazienti con ricostruzione protesica dell’arto inferiore per tumore

none7Il rischio tromboembolico in oncologia ortopedica: esperienza dell’Istituto Rizzoli in 981 pazienti con ricostruzione protesica dell’arto inferiore per tumorenoneMONTALTI M; BOSCO G; ANGELINI A; CALABRÓ T; BABBI L; DI FIORE M; RUGGIERI PMontalti, M; Bosco, G; Angelini, A; Calabró, T; Babbi, L; DI FIORE, M; Ruggieri, Pietr

Julius Schubring pioniere degli studi sulla topografia storica di Akragas

Julius Schubring (1839-1914) fu uno dei protagonisti della stagione di studi sulla Sicilia antica avviatasi dopo l'Unità d'Italia. Il contributo indaga questa figura di studioso, troppo presto dimenticata, che ebbe il merito di offrire alla comunità degli archeologi e degli antichisti in generale nuovi dati sui monumenti e la topografia antica della Sicilia, derivanti da un suo lungo soggiorno nell'isola dedicato ad una sistematica ricognizione delle testimonianze del passato. In particolare, si esamina il suo fondamentale contributo alla ricostruzione della topografia storica dell'antica Akragas attraverso l'opera "Historische Topographie von Akragas in Sicilien während der klassischen Zeit", apparsa nel 1870