La splendeur de Venise et de l'Art moderne

A. Bourdelle nel 1914 visita per la prima volta Venezia in occasione della sua personale alla Biennale: appunta alcuni ricordi, sulla citt\ue0, sull'arte e sulla pittura di Emma Ciardi che di l\uec a poco avrebbe esposto a Parigi nella stessa galleria di Bourdelle

Cesare Laurenti (1854-1936)

\ue8 la prima monografia dedicata a Cesare Laurenti, pittore, scultore e architetto attivo principalmente a Venezia a cavallo tra Otto e Novecent

1911. Le arti in Friuli e Veneto

Il volume riassume gli avvenimenti artistici avvenuti nell'anno 1911, con particolare attenzione alle aree geografiche di Veneto e Friuli

The identification of miRNA biomarkers of chronic kidney disease and development of minimally-invasive methods of molecular detection

Kidney biopsy is the current gold standard diagnostic test for intrinsic renal disease but requires hospital admission and carries a 3% risk of major complications. Current non-invasive prognostic indicators such as urine protein quantification have limited predictive value. Better diagnostic and prognostic tests for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are therefore a major focus for industry and academia. An alternative approach is the quantification of urinary microRNAs(miRNAs): short, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally. This project investigated the utility of urinary miRNA expression analysis as a method for non-invasive diagnostic/prognostic testing for CKD. A technique was developed for quantifying miRNAs in urine samples from control subjects and diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients with a coefficient of variation below 10%. The stability of endogenous miRNAs was demonstrated in urine samples from unaffected individuals and DN patients. Two populations of urinary miRNAs were identified: those associated with exosomes and those associated with AGO2, a component protein of the RNA-induced silencing complex. Expression of over 750 urinary miRNAs in pooled urine samples from DN patients was compared with that in corresponding control samples using TaqMan Array Human microRNA Card analysis. Statistically significant differences in expression of a subset of putative disease-associated miRNAs were then replicated in individual urine samples, and these data were supported by ROC curve analyses. Expression analysis of these target miRNAs in defined nephron segments was observed using laser capture microdissection of renal biopsy tissues followed by miRNA detection by RT-qPCR. Subsequent renal cell line analysis pinpointed miRNA cellular origins, and miRNA release into conditioned tissue culture medium in response to disease stimuli was also observed. These experimental data reveal a pattern of urinary miRNA expression changes in DN and present putative mechanisms by which these differences in abundance might come about

Platelet lysate gel and endothelial progenitors stimulate microvascular network formation in vitro: tissue engineering implications

Revascularisation is a key step for tissue regeneration and complete organ engineering. We describe the generation of human platelet lysate gel (hPLG), an extracellular matrix preparation from human platelets able to support the proliferation of endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) in 2D cultures and the formation of a complete microvascular network in vitro in 3D cultures. Existing extracellular matrix preparations require addition of high concentrations of recombinant growth factors and allow only limited formation of capillary-like structures. Additional advantages of our approach over existing extracellular matrices are the absence of any animal product in the composition hPLG and the possibility of obtaining hPLG from patients to generate homologous scaffolds for re-implantation. This discovery has the potential to accelerate the development of regenerative medicine applications based on implantation of microvascular networks expanded ex vivo or the generation of fully vascularised organs

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities. This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity. Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017—and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions—was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing—and in some countries reversal—of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories

Natural complementary feeds in gestating and lactating sows: effects on performance and metabolic profile

Gestating and lactating sows were fed natural complementary feed with the aim to improve performance and metabolic profil

Trends in cardiometabolic risk factors in the Americas between 1980 and 2014 : a pooled analysis of population-based surveys

Background Describing the prevalence and trends of cardiometabolic risk factors that are associated with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is crucial for monitoring progress, planning prevention, and providing evidence to support policy efforts. We aimed to analyse the transition in body-mass index (BMI), obesity, blood pressure, raised blood pressure, and diabetes in the Americas, between 1980 and 2014. Methods We did a pooled analysis of population-based studies with data on anthropometric measurements, biomarkers for diabetes, and blood pressure from adults aged 18 years or older. A Bayesian model was used to estimate trends in BMI, raised blood pressure (systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg), and diabetes (fasting plasma glucose ≥7·0 mmol/L, history of diabetes, or diabetes treatment) from 1980 to 2014, in 37 countries and six subregions of the Americas. Findings 389 population-based surveys from the Americas were available. Comparing prevalence estimates from 2014 with those of 1980, in the non-English speaking Caribbean subregion, the prevalence of obesity increased from 3·9% (95% CI 2·2–6·3) in 1980, to 18·6% (14·3–23·3) in 2014, in men; and from 12·2% (8·2–17·0) in 1980, to 30·5% (25·7–35·5) in 2014, in women. The English-speaking Caribbean subregion had the largest increase in the prevalence of diabetes, from 5·2% (2·1–10·4) in men and 6·4% (2·6–10·4) in women in 1980, to 11·1% (6·4–17·3) in men and 13·6% (8·2–21·0) in women in 2014). Conversely, the prevalence of raised blood pressure has decreased in all subregions; the largest decrease was found in North America from 27·6% (22·3–33·2) in men and 19·9% (15·8–24·4) in women in 1980, to 15·5% (11·1–20·9) in men and 10·7% (7·7–14·5) in women in 2014. Interpretation Despite the generally high prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors across the Americas, estimates also showed a high level of heterogeneity in the transition between countries. The increasing prevalence of obesity and diabetes observed over time requires appropriate measures to deal with these public health challenges. Our results support a diversification of health interventions across subregions and countries