49 research outputs found
A European research roadmap for optimizing societal impact of big data on environment and energy efficiency
We present a roadmap to guide European research efforts towards a socially
responsible big data economy that maximizes the positive impact of big data in
environment and energy efficiency. The goal of the roadmap is to allow
stakeholders and the big data community to identify and meet big data
challenges, and to proceed with a shared understanding of the societal impact,
positive and negative externalities, and concrete problems worth investigating.
It builds upon a case study focused on the impact of big data practices in the
context of Earth Observation that reveals both positive and negative effects in
the areas of economy, society and ethics, legal frameworks and political
issues. The roadmap identifies European technical and non-technical priorities
in research and innovation to be addressed in the upcoming five years in order
to deliver societal impact, develop skills and contribute to standardization.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
Unidata's Common Data Model mapping to the ISO 19123 Data Model
Access to real-time distributed Earth and Space Science (ESS) information is essential for enabling critical Decision Support Systems (DSS). Thus, data model interoperability between the ESS and DSS communities is a decisive achievement for enabling cyber-infrastructure which aims to serve important societal benefit areas. The ESS community is characterized by a certain heterogeneity, as far as data models are concerned. Recent spatial data infrastructures implement international standards for the data model in order to achieve interoperability and extensibility. This paper presents well-accepted ESS data models, introducing a unified data model called the Common Data Model (CDM). CDM mapping into the corresponding elements of the international standard coverage data model of ISO 19123 is presented and discussed at the abstract level. The mapping of CDM scientific data types to the ISO coverage model is a first step toward interoperability of data systems. This mapping will provide the abstract framework that can be used to unify subsequent efforts to define appropriate conventions along with explicit agreed-upon encoding forms for each data type. As a valuable case in point, the content mapping rules for CDM grid data are discussed addressing a significant example
Exosomes secreted from human colon cancer cells influence the adhesion of neighboring metastatic cells: Role of microRNA-210
Cancer-secreted exosomes influence tumor microenvironment and support cancer growth and metastasis. MiR-210 is frequently up-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues and correlates with metastatic disease. We investigated whether exosomes are actively released by HCT-8 colon cancer cells, the role of exosomal miR-210 in the cross-talk between primary cancer cells and neighboring metastatic cells and its contribution in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET). After 7 d of culture, a subpopulation of viable HCT-8 cells detached the monolayer and started to grow in suspension, suggesting anoikis resistance and a metastatic potential. The expression of key proteins of EMT revealed that these cells were E-cadherin negative and vimentin positive further confirming their metastatic phenotype and the acquisition of anoikis resistance. Metastatic cells, in the presence of adherently growing HCT-8, continued to grow in suspension whereas only if seeded in cell-free wells, were able to adhere again and to form E-cadherin positive and vimentin negative new colonies, suggesting the occurrence of MET. The chemosensitivity to 5 fluorouracil and to FOLFOX-like treatment of metastatic cells was significantly diminished compared to adherent HCT-8 cells. Of note, adherent new colonies undergoing MET, were insensitive to both chemotherapeutic strategies. Electron microscopy analysis demonstrated that adherently growing HCT-8, actually secreted exosomes and that exosomes in turn were taken up by metastatic cells. When exosomes secreted by adherently growing HCT-8 were administered to metastatic cells, MET was significantly inhibited. miR-210 was significantly upregulated in exosomes compared to its intracellular levels in adherently growing HCT-8 cells and correlated to anoikis resistance and EMT markers. Exosomes containing miR-210 might be considered as EMT promoting signals that preserve the local cancer-growth permissive milieu and also guide metastatic cells to free, new sites of dissemination
Considerazioni sui casi di tumore nellâArea della Ricerca di Firenze del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Recentemente, tra i dipendenti dellâArea della Ricerca di Firenze del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) presso il Polo Scientifico di Sesto Fiorentino si eÌ verificato un numero preoccupante di casi di tumore. LâAzienda Sanitaria di Firenze (ASF) e lâIstituto per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica (ISPO) di Firenze, con lâinteressamento dellâAzienda Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale della Toscana, hanno indagato la questione, concludendo che il numero di casi verificatisi non eÌ statisticamente superiore alla media territoriale e che non eÌ stata riscontrata la presenza di fattori di rischio ambientale.
Questo documento evidenzia svariati aspetti critici, sia nel merito che nel metodo, dellâindagine condotta, con particolare riferimento allâapprofondimento statistico.
In conclusione, si ritiene che lâintervento di ASF-ISPO non costituisca unâindagine accurata e che sia stato insuffi- ciente e sbrigativo. Si raccomandano ulteriori approfondimenti e interventi di monitoraggio e prevenzione sul personale e sullâambiente dellâArea CNR, del Polo Scientifico e della Piana in generale
Ethyl acetate extract from Cistus x incanus L. leaves enriched in myricetin and quercetin derivatives, inhibits inflammatory mediators and activates Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages.
Abstract
Cistus x incanus L. is a Mediterranean evergreen shrub used in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammatory disorders but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We therefore investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of an ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) from C. x incanus L. leaves on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. HPLC analysis revealed myricetin and quercetin derivatives to be the major compounds in EAF; EAF up to 1 ”M of total phenolic content, was not cytotoxic and inhibited the mRNA expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) (p < 0.05) and the production of prostaglandins E2 (PGE2) (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, EAF triggered the mRNA expression of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and elicited the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), as well as the expression of its main target gene, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) (p < 0.05). These data indicate that EAF attenuates experimental inflammation via the inhibition of proinflammatory mediators and at least in part, by the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. These effects are likely due to myricetin and quercetin derivatives but the role of other, less abundant components cannot be excluded. Further studies to confirm the relevance of our findings in animal models and to highlight the relative contribution of each component to the anti-inflammatory activity of EAF should be conducted
Development and characterization of an in vitro model of colorectal adenocarcinoma with MDR phenotype
The major cause of failure in cancer chemotherapy is the development of multidrug resistance (MDR), and the characterization of biological factors involved in this response to therapy is particularly needed. A doxorubicinâresistant HCTâ8/R clone was selected from sensitive parental cells and characterized analyzing several parameters (cell cycle phase distribution, apoptotic activity, expression, distribution and functionality of the Pâgp efflux pump, the response to other chemotherapy agents, its ultrastructural features, invasiveness, and transcriptomic profile). HCTâ8/R cells showed a peculiar S phase distribution, characterized by a single pulse of proliferation, resistance to drugâmediated apoptosis, increased expression and functionality of Pâgp and overexpression of stem cell markers (CD44 and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A2). At the ultrastructural level, HCTâ8/R presented a greater cell volume and several intracytoplasmic vesicles respect to HCTâ8. Moreover, the resistant clone was characterized by cross resistance to other cytotoxic drugs and a greater capacity for migration and invasion, compared to parental cells. Our data reinforce the concept that the MDR phenotype in HCTâ8/R cells is multifactorial and involves multiple mechanisms, representing an interesting tool to understand the biological basis of MDR and to test strategies that overcome resistance to chemotherapy