Mediterranean Diet and Healthy Ageing: A Sicilian Perspective

Traditional Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is a common dietary pattern characterizing a lifestyle and culture proven to contribute to better health and quality of life in Mediterranean countries. By analyzing the diet of centenarians from the Sicani Mountains and eating habits of inhabitants of Palermo, it is reported that a close adherence to MedDiet is observed in the countryside, whereas in big towns this adherence is not so close. This has an effect on the rates of mortality at old age (and reciprocally longevity) that are lower in the countryside than in big towns. Concerning the health effects of the diet, the low content of animal protein and the low glycaemic index of the Sicilian MedDiet might directly modulate the insulin/IGF-1 and the mTOR pathways, known to be involved in ageing and longevity. In particular, the reduction of animal protein intake may significantly reduce serum IGF-1 concentrations and inhibit mTOR activity with a down-regulation of the signal that leads to the activation of FOXO3A and, consequently, to the transcription of homeostatic genes that favour longevity. The down-regulation of both IGF-1 and mTORC1 also induces an anti-inflammatory effect. In addition to the effects on sensing pathways, many single components of MedDiet are known to have positive effects on health, reducing inflammation, optimizing cholesterol and other important risk factors of age-related diseases. However, a key role is played by polyphenols represented in high amount in the Sicilian MedDiet (in particular in extra virgin olive oil) that can work as hormetins that provide an environmental chemical signature regulating stress resistance pathways such as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2

Combined resistance to oxidative stress and reduced antenna size enhance light-to-biomass conversion efficiency in Chlorella vulgaris cultures

Background: Microalgae are efficient producers of lipid-rich biomass, making them a key component in developing a sustainable energy source, and an alternative to fossil fuels. Chlorella species are of special interest because of their fast growth rate in photobioreactors. However, biological constraints still cast a significant gap between the high cost of biofuel and cheap oil, thus hampering perspective of producing CO2-neutral biofuels. A key issue is the inefficient use of light caused by its uneven distribution in the culture that generates photoinhibition of the surface-exposed cells and darkening of the inner layers. Efficient biofuel production, thus, requires domestication, including traits which reduce optical density of cultures and enhance photoprotection. Results: We applied two steps of mutagenesis and phenotypic selection to the microalga Chlorella vulgaris. First, a pale-green mutant (PG-14) was selected, with a 50% reduction of both chlorophyll content per cell and LHCII complement per PSII, with respect to WT. PG-14 showed a 30% increased photon conversion into biomass efficiency vs. WT. A second step of mutagenesis of PG-14, followed by selection for higher tolerance to Rose Bengal, led to the isolation of pale-green genotypes, exhibiting higher resistance to singlet oxygen (strains SOR). Growth in photobioreactors under high light conditions showed an enhanced biomass production of SOR strains with respect to PG-14. When compared to WT strain, biomass yield of the pale green+ sor genotype was enhanced by 68%. Conclusions: Domestication of microalgae like Chlorella vulgaris, by optimizing both light distribution and ROS resistance, yielded an enhanced carbon assimilation rate in photobioreactor

Inflammatory bowel disease in children and adolescents in Italy: data from the pediatric national IBD register (1996-2003).

Abstract BACKGROUND: The purpose was to assess in Italy the clinical features at diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children. METHODS: In 1996 an IBD register of disease onset was established on a national scale. RESULTS: Up to the end of 2003, 1576 cases of pediatric IBD were recorded: 810 (52%) ulcerative colitis (UC), 635 (40%) Crohn's disease (CD), and 131 (8%) indeterminate colitis (IC). In the period 1996-2003 an increase of IBD incidence from 0.89 to 1.39/10(5) inhabitants aged <18 years was observed. IBD was more frequent among children aged between 6 and 12 years (57%) but 20% of patients had onset of the disease under 6 years of age; 28 patients were <1 year of age. Overall, 11% had 1 or more family members with IBD. The mean interval between onset of symptoms and diagnosis was higher in CD (10.1 months) and IC (9 months) versus UC (5.8 months). Extended colitis was the most frequent form in UC and ileocolic involvement the most frequent in CD. Upper intestinal tract involvement was present in 11% of CD patients. IC locations were similar to those of UC. Bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain were the most frequent symptoms in UC and IC, and abdominal pain and diarrhea in CD. Extraintestinal symptoms were more frequent in CD than in UC. CONCLUSIONS: The IBD incidence in children and adolescents in Italy shows an increasing trend for all 3 pathologies. UC diagnoses exceeded CD

Incomplete gastric metaplasia in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and celiac disease. An ultrastructural study

BACKGROUND: The association of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and celiac disease (CD) has been widely reported in children but the relationship between the two conditions is incompletely understood. Moreover, specific studies on intestinal biopsies of patients with the association of the two diseases are still lacking. METHODS: We studied the ultrastructure of the duodenal mucosa in 12 patients with both IDDM and CD. RESULTS: All patients had either total or partial atrophy of duodenal mucosa. In seven subjects, an accumulation of electrondense granules in the apical cytoplasm of groups of enterocytes was found. In four of them, a double population of granules existed (mean diameter: 400-800 nm and 100-200 nm respectively) showing a biphasic pattern. In the other three patients, only smaller granules (100- 200 nm) were found in the enterocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The present work suggests that patients with IDDM/CD may represent a subgroup in the context of the CD population. Intestinal biopsies of such individuals often show accumulation of electrondense granules in the apical cytoplasm of enterocytes that can be interpreted as incomplete gastric metaplasia

Isolation of novel PSII-LHCII megacomplexes from pea plants characterized by a combination of proteomics and electron microscopy

This work was supported by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, “Futuro in Ricerca 2013” program RBFR1334SB to CP

Pediatric DXA: clinical applications

Normal bone mineral accrual requires adequate dietary intake of calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients; hepatic and renal activation of vitamin D; normal hormone levels (thyroid, parathyroid, reproductive and growth hormones); and neuromuscular functioning with sufficient stress upon the skeleton to induce bone deposition. The presence of genetic or acquired diseases and the therapies that are used to treat them can also impact bone health. Since the introduction of clinical DXA in pediatrics in the early 1990s, there has been considerable investigation into the causes of low bone mineral density (BMD) in children. Pediatricians have also become aware of the role adequate bone mass accrual in childhood has in preventing osteoporotic fractures in late adulthood. Additionally, the availability of medications to improve BMD has increased with the development of bisphosphonates. These factors have led to the increased utilization of DXA in pediatrics. This review summarizes much of the previous research regarding BMD in children and is meant to assist radiologists and clinicians with DXA utilization and interpretation

Anak seni pertama dilantik Senator

KUALA LUMPUR 1 Mac Seniman Negara, Allahyarham Tan Sri. Dr. Jins Shamsuddin yang menghembuskan nafas terakhir pada pukul 5.45 petang hari ini merupakan anak seni pertama dalam negara yang dilantik sebagai Senator di Dewan Negara selama dua penggal