78 research outputs found
Back to the Future? Understanding Change in Food Habits of Farmers' Market Customers
farmers' markets, food habits, Italy, Agribusiness, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy,
Ultrastructural characteristics and immune profile of equine MSCs from fetal adnexa
Both in human and equine species, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from amniotic membrane (AM) and Wharton\ue2\u80\u99s jelly (WJ), may be particularly useful for immediate use or in later stages of life, after cryopreservation in cell bank. The aim of this study was to compare equine AM- and WJ-MSCs in vitro features that may be relevant for their clinical employment. MSCs were more easily isolated from WJ, even if MSCs derived from AM exhibited more rapid proliferation (P< 0.05). Osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation were more prominent in MSCs derived from WJ. This is also suggested by the lower adhesion of AM cells, demonstrated by the greater volume of spheroids after hanging drop culture (P< 0.05). Data obtained by PCR confirmed the immunosuppressive function of AM and WJ-MSCs and the presence of active genes specific for anti-inflammatory and angiogenic factors (IL-6, IL 8, IL-\uce\ub21). For the first time, by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we ascertained that equine WJ-MSCs constitutively contain a very impressive number of large vesicular structures, scattered throughout the cytoplasm. Moreover, an abundant extracellular fibrillar matrix was located in the intercellular spaces among WJ-MSCs. Data recorded in this study reveal that MSCs from different fetal tissues have different characteristics that may drive their therapeutic use. These finding could be noteworthy for horses as well as for other mammalian species, including humans
Microglia-derived microvesicles affect microglia phenotype in glioma
Extracellular-released vesicles (EVs), such as microvesicles (MV) and exosomes (Exo)
provide a new type of inter-cellular communication, directly transferring a ready to use
box of information, consisting of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. In the nervous
system, EVs participate to neuron-glial cross-talk, a bidirectional communication
important to preserve brain homeostasis and, when dysfunctional, involved in several
CNS diseases. We investigated whether microglia-derived EVs could be used to transfer
a protective phenotype to dysfunctional microglia in the context of a brain tumor.
When MV, isolated from microglia stimulated with LPS/IFNg were brain injected in
glioma-bearing mice, we observed a phenotype switch of tumor associated myeloid
cells (TAMs) and a reduction of tumor size. Our findings indicate that the MV cargo,
which contains upregulated transcripts for several inflammation-related genes, can
transfer information in the brain of glioma bearing mice modifying microglial gene
expression, reducing neuronal death and glioma invasion, thus promoting the recovery
of brain homeostasis
The role of network creation and actor engagement in the adoption and diffusion of sustainable innovations in food value chains
The paper aims at understanding how innovations, that are promoted and facilitated by private actors, can be fostered by network creation and actor engagement in the agri-food value chains. More specifically, we investigated innovative governance mechanisms related to the introduction of new sustainable practices in food value chains and tried to evaluate the environmental, economic and social effects of these new practices. We use information derived from a case study based on an ongoing project in the North of Italy, where in 2013 a multinational corporation operating in the pasta and bakery sector has initiated an agreement with other three agri-food companies in order to facilitate sustainable sourcing from a group of farmers
Intermittent theta-burst stimulation rescues dopamine-dependent corticostriatal synaptic plasticity and motor behavior in experimental parkinsonism. Possible role of glial activity.
Background: Recent studies support the therapeutic utility of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in Parkinson's disease (PD), whose progression is correlated with loss of corticostriatal long-term potentiation and long-term depression. Glial cell activation is also a feature of PD that is gaining increasing attention in the field because astrocytes play a role in chronic neuroinflammatory responses but are also able to manage dopamine (DA) levels.
Methods: Intermittent theta-burst stimulation protocol was applied to study the effect of therapeutic neuromodulation on striatal DA levels measured by means of in vivo microdialysis in 6-hydroxydopamine-hemilesioned rats. Effects on corticostriatal synaptic plasticity were studied through in vitro intracellular and whole-cell patch clamp recordings while stepping test and CatWalk were used to test motor behavior. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed to analyze morphological changes in neurons and glial cells.
Results: Acute theta-burst stimulation induced an increase in striatal DA levels in hemiparkinsonian rats, 80 minutes post-treatment, correlated with full recovery of plasticity and amelioration of motor performances. With the same timing, immediate early gene activation was restricted to striatal spiny neurons. Intense astrocytic and microglial responses were also significantly reduced 80 minutes following theta-burst stimulation.
Conclusion: Taken together, these results provide a first glimpse on physiological adaptations that occur in the parkinsonian striatum following intermittent theta-burst stimulation and may help to disclose the real potential of this technique in treating PD and preventing DA replacement therapy-associated disturbances
The clearing of discs around late type T Tauri stars: constraints from the infrared two colour plane
We have undertaken SED modeling of discs around low mass T Tauri stars in
order to delineate regions of the infrared two colour plane (K - [8] versus K -
[24]) that correspond to discs in different evolutionary stages. This provides
a ready tool for classifying the nature of star-disc systems based on infrared
photometry. In particular we demonstrate the distinct loci followed by discs
that undergo `uniform draining' (reduction in surface density by a spatially
uniform factor) from those that clear from the inside out. We draw attention to
the absence of objects on this `draining locus' in those star forming regions
where the 24um sensitivity would permit their detection, as compared with the
~20 objects in these regions with colours suggestive of inner holes. We thus
conclude that discs predominantly clear from the inside out. We also apply our
classification of the infrared two colour plane to stars of spectral type M3-M5
in the IC 348 cluster and show that some of its members (dubbed `weak excess'
sources by Muzerolle et al 2010) that had previously been assumed to be in a
state of clearing are instead likely to be optically thick discs in which the
dust is well settled towards the mid-plane. Nevertheless, there are many discs
in a state of partial clearing in IC 348, with their abundance (relative to the
total population of disc bearing stars) being around four times higher than for
comparable stars in Taurus. However, the number of partially cleared discs
relative to the total number of late type stars is similarly low in both
regions (10 and 20 % respectively). We therefore conclude that IC 348
represents a more evolved version of the Taurus population (with more of its
discs being highly settled or partially cleared) but that the timescale for
clearing is similarly short (a few times 10^5 years) in both cases.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted, MNRA
X-ray irradiated protoplanetary disk atmospheres II: Predictions from models in hydrostatic equilibrium
We present new models for the X-ray photoevaporation of circumstellar discs
which suggest that the resulting mass loss (occurring mainly over the radial
range 10-40 AU) may be the dominant dispersal mechanism for gas around low mass
pre-main sequence stars, contrary to the conclusions of previous workers. Our
models combine use of the MOCASSIN Monte Carlo radiative transfer code and a
self-consistent solution of the hydrostatic structure of the irradiated disc.
We estimate the resulting photoevaporation rates assuming sonic outflow at the
surface where the gas temperature equals the local escape temperature and
derive mass loss rates of ~10^{-9} M_sun/yr, typically a factor 2-10 times
lower than the corresponding rates in our previous work (Ercolano et al., 2008)
where we did not adjust the density structure of the irradiated disc. The
somewhat lower rates, and the fact that mass loss is concentrated towards
slightly smaller radii, result from the puffing up of the heated disc at a few
AU which partially screens the disc at tens of AU. (.....) We highlight the
fact that X-ray photoevaporation has two generic advantages for disc dispersal
compared with photoevaporation by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photons that are
only modestly beyond the Lyman limit: the demonstrably large X-ray fluxes of
young stars even after they have lost their discs and the fact that X-rays are
effective at penetrating much larger columns of material close to the star
(abridged).Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 12 pages, 11 figure
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