To Chase or not to Chase: A Study on the Role of Mentalization and Alcohol Consumption in Chasing Behavior

Background and aims: Chasing is a behavioral marker and a diagnostic criterion for gambling disorder. Although chasing has been recognized to play a central role in gambling disorder, research on this topic is relatively scarce. This study investigated the association between chasing, alcohol consumption, and mentalization among habitual gamblers. Method: A total of 132 adults took part in the study. Participants were administered the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, and a laboratory task assessing chasing behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions (Control, Loss, and Win). To deeply investigate chasing behavior, participants were requested to indicate the reasons for stopping or continuing playing at the end of the experimental session. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that the choice to stop or continue playing depended on experimental condition and alcohol use. Hierarchical linear regression indicated that chasing propensity was affected by experimental condition, alcohol consumption, and deficit in mentalization. The results of path analysis showed that hypermentalizing predicts chasing not only directly, but also indirectly via alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Overall, these results for the first time showed that hypermentalization plays a key role in chasing behavior over and above gambling severity. Since these findings support the idea that chasers and non-chasers are different subtypes of gamblers, clinical interventions should consider the additive role of chasing in gambling disorder

La ripresa della vegetazione mediterranea dopo il passaggio degli incendi: il caso di studio del Monte Castellare (PI) - Toscana nord-occidentale

In Mediterranean ecosystems, wildfires are a key factor that affects vegetation and landscapes. In particular, recurrent wildfires are dramatically dangerous because they can compromise ecosystem resilience. In this view, the present work aimed to study the effects of fire events on the Mediterranean vegetation of Castellare Mount (Pisa). Castellare Mount seemed an interesting study place since two wildfires occurred in 2008 and 2009. The study area was divided into three sites: one site interested by the wildfire event occurred in 2009, another site interested by the wildfire event occurred in 2008, and a control site. Seven dominant plant species (Arbutus unedo L., Daphne gnidium L., Erica arborea L., Myrtus communis L., Phillyrea angustifolia L., Pinus pinaster Aiton and Quercus x morisii Borzì) were selected in each study site. For each species an index of flammability (IF) was calculated, following a non-destructive protocol that took into account seven functional traits related to leaves, twigs, canopy branching, standing litter, and volatile oils production. Moreover, a global flammability index was calculated for each study site. Results showed that all the plant species had quite high values of flammability, which could be explained by their adaptations to fire. In fact, all the taxa examined were active pyrophytes, whose regeneration are stimulated by fire events. However, vegetation survey highlighted a slower process of plant community recovery in the first year after the wildfire event than those observed in the subsequent years. In conclusion, recurrent wildfires are confirmed extremely dangerous because they compromise the recovery of Mediterranean vegetation

Trypanocidal activity of tioamide-sustituted imidazoisoquinolinones: Electrochemical properties and biological effects

Three thioamide-substituted imidazoisoquinolinones, which possess an heterocyclic center similar to tryptanthrin and are named C1, C2 and C3, were studied regarding: a) its in vitro anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity, b) its cytotoxicity and electrochemical behaviour and c) its effect on cell viability, redox state and mitochondrial function . The assayed compounds showed a significant activity against the proliferative forms, but only C1 showed activity on the trypomastigote form (for C1, IC50 epi = 1.49 µM; IC50 amas = 1.74 µM and IC50 try = 34.89 µM). The presence of an antioxidant compound such as ascorbic acid or dithiotreitol induced a three-fold increase in the antiparasitic activity, whereas glutathione had a dual effect depending on its concentration. Our results indicate that these compounds, which exhibited low toxicity to the host cells, can be reduced inside the parasite by means of the pool of low molecular weight thiols, causing oxidative stress and parasite death by apoptosis. The antiparasitic activity of the compounds studied could be explained by a loss of the capacity of the antioxidant defense system of the parasite to keep its intracellular redox state. C1 could be considered a good candidate for in vivo evaluation .Fil: Frank, Fernanda Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cienti­ficas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "Profesor R. A. Margni"; ArgentinaFil: Ciccarelli, Allejandra Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Investigacion Sobre Porfirinas y Porfirias; ArgentinaFil: Bollini, Mariela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Bruno, Ana M.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Batlle, Alcira Maria del C.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Investigacion Sobre Porfirinas y Porfirias; ArgentinaFil: Lombardo, Maria Elisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Investigacion Sobre Porfirinas y Porfirias; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentin

Plant adaptation to extreme environments: The example of Cistus salviifolius of an active geothermal alteration field

Cistus salviifolius is able to colonise one of the most extreme active geothermal alteration fields in terms of both soil acidity and hot temperatures. The analyses of morphofunctional and physiological characters, investigated in leaves of plants growing around fumaroles (G leaves) and in leaves developed by the same plants after transfer into growth chamber under controlled conditions (C leaves) evidenced the main adaptive traits developed by this pioneer plant in a stressful environment. These traits involved leaf shape and thickness, mesophyll compactness, stomatal and trichome densities, chloroplast size. Changes of functional and physiological traits concerned dry matter content, peroxide and lipid peroxidation, leaf area, relative water and pigment contents. A higher reducing power and antioxidant enzymatic activity were typical of G leaves. Though the high levels of stress parameters, G leaves showed stress-induced specific morphogenic and physiological responses putatively involved in their surviving in active geothermal habitats

Key role of MEK/ERK pathway in sustaining tumorigenicity and in vitro radioresistance of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma stem-like cell population

The identification of signaling pathways that affect the cancer stem-like phenotype may provide insights into therapeutic targets for combating embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the MEK/ERK pathway in controlling the cancer stem-like phenotype using a model of rhabdospheres derived from the embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma cell line (RD)

Hypoxia sustains glioblastoma radioresistance through ERKs/DNA-PKcs/HIF-1α functional interplay

The molecular mechanisms by which glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) refracts and becomes resistant to radiotherapy treatment remains largely unknown. This radioresistance is partly due to the presence of hypoxic regions, which are frequently found in GBM tumors. We investigated the radiosensitizing effects of MEK/ERK inhibition on GBM cell lines under hypoxic conditions. Four human GBM cell lines, T98G, U87MG, U138MG and U251MG were treated with the MEK/ERK inhibitor U0126, the HIF-1α inhibitor FM19G11 or γ-irradiation either alone or in combination under hypoxic conditions. Immunoblot analysis of specific proteins was performed in order to define their anti‑oncogenic or radiosensitizing roles in the different experimental conditions. MEK/ERK inhibition by U0126 reverted the transformed phenotype and significantly enhanced the radiosensitivity of T98G, U87MG, U138MG cells but not of the U251MG cell line under hypoxic conditions. U0126 and ERK silencing by siRNA reduced the levels of DNA protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), Ku70 and K80 proteins and clearly reduced HIF-1α activity and protein expression. Furthermore, DNA-PKcs siRNA-mediated silencing counteracted HIF-1α activity and downregulated protein expression suggesting that ERKs, DNA-PKcs and HIF-1α cooperate in radioprotection of GBM cells. Of note, HIF-1α inhibition under hypoxic conditions drastically radiosensitized all cell lines used. MEK/ERK signal transduction pathway, through the sustained expression of DNA-PKcs, positively regulates HIF-1α protein expression and activity, preserving GBM radioresistance in hypoxic condition

Anthemis maritima L. in different coastal habitats: A tool to explore plant plasticity

Anthemis maritima, a plant which has the ability to colonise different stressful coastal environments, sand dunes and rocky cliff ecosystems, exhibits a high degree of leaf trait plasticity. The key parameters are the regulation of stomatal density and size, the succulence index and the specific antioxidant response. With the aim to explore plant plasticity, we analysed various morphological and physiological traits of the leaves of A. maritima populations dwelling in three different coastal areas of Italy. The highest values of stomatal density, leaf thickness, and succulence index were found in plants living in a sub-arid climate, on rocky cliffs, with the highest soil pH and salinity. Although this population exhibited the highest content of oxygen reactive species (hydrogen peroxide), it also revealed to have the lowest value of lipid peroxidation, an indicator of oxidative stress. Ascorbate was the main protective molecule in this population, while phenols appeared to carry out this role in plants living on soils with the lowest salinity and highest annual rainfall

L'adolescenza e i suoi bisogni. Il modello degli Artur-Lab

Il presente contributo intende presentare l'Associazione ARTUR, Adulti Responsabili per un Territorio Unito Contro il Rischio, di Maria Luisa Iavarone, e la sua attività associativa. Nata in risposta ad un atto di violenza subito da Arturo Puoti nel 2018, aggredito e accoltellato da una baby gang, ARTUR volge la propria attenzione e la propria associativa alla realizzazione di iniziative e attività orientate al contrasto del rischio e alla prevenzione dei fenomeni di devianza , accompagnando i giovani di oggi a divenire adulti responsabili domani

Key role of MEK/ERK pathway in sustaining tumorigenicity and in vitro radioresistance of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma stem-like cell population

The identification of signaling pathways that affect the cancer stem-like phenotype may provide insights into therapeutic targets for combating embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the MEK/ERK pathway in controlling the cancer stem-like phenotype using a model of rhabdospheres derived from the embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma cell line (RD). Rhabdospheres enriched in cancer stem like cells were obtained growing RD cells in non adherent condition in stem cell medium. Stem cell markers were evaluated by FACS analysis and immunoblotting. ERK1/2, myogenic markers, proteins of DNA repair and bone marrow X-linked kinase (BMX) expression were evaluated by immunoblotting analysis. Radiation was delivered using an x-6 MV photon linear accelerator. Xenografts were obtained in NOD/SCID mice by subcutaneously injection of rhabdosphere cells or cells pretreated with U0126 in stem cell medium. MEK/ERK inhibitor U0126 dramatically prevented rhabdosphere formation and down-regulated stem cell markers CD133, CXCR4 and Nanog expression, but enhanced ALDH, MAPK phospho-active p38 and differentiative myogenic markers. By contrast, MAPK p38 inhibition accelerated rhabdosphere formation and enhanced phospho-active ERK1/2 and Nanog expression. RD cells, chronically treated with U0126 and then xeno-transplanted in NOD/SCID mice, delayed tumor development and reduced tumor mass when compared with tumor induced by rhabdosphere cells. U0126 intraperitoneal administration to mice bearing rhabdosphere-derived tumors inhibited tumor growth . The MEK/ERK pathway role in rhabdosphere radiosensitivity was investigated in vitro. Disassembly of rhabdospheres was induced by both radiation or U0126, and further enhanced by combined treatment. In U0126-treated rhabdospheres, the expression of the stem cell markers CD133 and CXCR4 decreased and dropped even more markedly following combined treatment. The expression of BMX, a negative regulator of apoptosis, also decreased following combined treatment, which suggests an increase in radiosensitivity of rhabdosphere cells. Our results indicate that the MEK/ERK pathway plays a prominent role in maintaining the stem-like phenotype of RD cells, their survival and their innate radioresistance. Thus, therapeutic strategies that target cancer stem cells, which are resistant to traditional cancer therapies, may benefit from MEK/ERK inhibition combined with traditional radiotherapy, thereby providing a promising therapy for embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma

L’adolescenza e i suoi bisogni: il modello degli Artur-lab

Riassunto: Il presente contributo intende presentare l’Associazione A.R.T.U.R., Adulti Responsabili per un Territorio Unito Contro il Rischio, di Maria Luisa Iavarone, e la sua attività associativa. Nata in risposta ad un atto di violenza subito da Arturo Puoti nel 2018, aggredito e accoltellato da una baby gang, A.R.T.U.R. volge la propria attenzione e la propria pratica associativa alla realizzazione di iniziative e attività orientate al contrasto del rischio e alla prevenzione dei fenomeni di devianza, accompagnando i giovani di oggi a divenire adulti responsabili domani. Abstract: This contribution intends to present the Association A.R.T.U.R., Responsible Adults for a United Territory Against Risk, by Maria Luisa Iavarone, and its associative activity. Born in response to an act of violence suffered by Arturo Puoti in 2018, attacked and stabbed by a baby gang, A.R.T.U.R. turns its attention and its associative practice to the realization of initiatives and activities aimed at contrasting the risk and preventing the phenomena of deviance, accompanying today's young people to become responsible adults tomorrow