Effect of donkey milk addition on the acceptability of Caprino, a typical goat cheese from Basilicata region, Italy

In this preliminary study we evaluated the effect of different donkeys’ milk additions in cheese making on the acceptability of fresh Caprino, a typical goat cheese produced in a region of southern Italy. In cheese making three batches were considered: A1 only goats’ milk, A2 and A3 with the addition of 5% and 10% of donkeys’ milk, respectively. With the exception of colour, the lowest donkeys’ milk addition improved the acceptability of Caprino cheese. In particular, significant highest ratings (P < 0.05) were observed on odour, flavour, texture and on overall likin

Restoration of CFTR function in patients with cystic fibrosis carrying the F508del-CFTR mutation

<div><p>Restoration of BECN1/Beclin 1-dependent autophagy and depletion of SQSTM1/p62 by genetic manipulation or autophagy-stimulatory proteostasis regulators, such as cystamine, have positive effects on mouse models of human cystic fibrosis (CF). These measures rescue the functional expression of the most frequent pathogenic CFTR mutant, F508del, at the respiratory epithelial surface and reduce lung inflammation in <i>Cftr^F508del</i> homozygous mice. Cysteamine, the reduced form of cystamine, is an FDA-approved drug. Here, we report that oral treatment with cysteamine greatly reduces the mortality rate and improves the phenotype of newborn mice bearing the <i>F508del-CFTR</i> mutation. Cysteamine was also able to increase the plasma membrane expression of the F508del-CFTR protein in nasal epithelial cells from <i>F508del</i> homozygous CF patients, and these effects persisted for 24 h after cysteamine withdrawal. Importantly, this cysteamine effect after washout was further sustained by the sequential administration of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea flavonoid, both <i>in vivo</i>, in mice, and <i>in vitro</i>, in primary epithelial cells from CF patients. In a pilot clinical trial involving 10 <i>F508del-CFTR</i> homozygous CF patients, the combination of cysteamine and EGCG restored BECN1, reduced SQSTM1 levels and improved CFTR function from nasal epithelial cells <i>in vivo</i>, correlating with a decrease of chloride concentrations in sweat, as well as with a reduction of the abundance of <i>TNF/TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor)</i> and <i>CXCL8</i> (<i>chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 8</i>) transcripts in nasal brushing and TNF and CXCL8 protein levels in the sputum. Altogether, these results suggest that optimal schedules of cysteamine plus EGCG might be used for the treatment of CF caused by the <i>F508del-CFTR</i> mutation.</p></div

The cl2/dro1/ccdc80 null mice develop thyroid and ovarian neoplasias

We have previously reported that the expression of the CL2/CCDC80 gene is downregulated in human papillary thyroid carcinomas, particularly in follicular variants. We have also reported that the restoration of CL2/CCDC80 expression reverted the malignant phenotype of thyroid carcinoma cell lines and that CL2/CCDC80 positively regulated E-cadherin expression, an ability that likely accounts for the role of the CL2/CCDC80 gene in thyroid cancer progression. In order to validate the tumour suppressor role of the CL2/CCDC80 gene in thyroid carcinogenesis we generated cl2/ccdc80 knock-out mice. We found that embryonic fibroblasts from cl2/ccdc80(-/-) mice showed higher proliferation rate and lower susceptibility to apoptosis. Furthermore, cl2/ccdc80(-/-) mice developed thyroid adenomas and ovarian carcinomas. Finally, ret/PTC1 transgenic mice crossed with the cl2/ccdc80 knock-out mice developed more aggressive thyroid carcinomas compared with those observed in the single ret/PTC1 transgenic mice. Together, these results indicate CL2/CCDC80 as a putative tumour suppressor gene in human thyroid carcinogenesis

BPSDiary study protocol: a multi-center randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of a BPSD diary vs. standard care in reducing caregiver's burden

Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) are a heterogeneous set of psychological and behavioral abnormalities seen in persons with dementia (PwD), significantly impacting their quality of life and that of their caregivers. Current assessment tools, such as the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), are limited by recall bias and lack of direct observation. This study aims to overcome this limitation by making caregiver reports more objective through the use of a novel instrument, referred to as the BPSDiary. This randomized controlled trial will involve 300 caregiver-PwD dyads. The objective is to evaluate whether the use of the BPSDiary could significantly reduce caregiver burden, assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), compared to usual care. The study will include adult PwD, caregivers living with or close to the patient, and BPSD related to the HIDA (hyperactivity, impulsivity, irritability, disinhibition, aggression, agitation) domain. Caregivers randomized to the intervention arm will use the BPSDiary to record specific BPSD, including insomnia, agitation/anxiety, aggression, purposeless motor behavior, and delusions/hallucinations, registering time of onset, severity, and potential triggers. The primary outcome will be the change in ZBI scores at 3 months, with secondary outcomes including changes in NPI scores, olanzapine equivalents, NPI-distress scores related to specific BPSD domains, and caregiver and physician satisfaction. The study will be conducted in 9 Italian centers, representing diverse geographic and sociocultural contexts. While potential limitations include the relatively short observation period and the focus on specific BPSD disturbances, the BPSDiary could provide physicians with objective data to tailor appropriate non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions. Additionally, it may empower caregivers by encouraging reflection on BPSD triggers, with the potential to improve the quality of life for both PwD and their caregivers.Trial registryNCT05977855

Apraxia of eyelid opening in a case of atypical corticobasal degeneration

Apraxia of eyelid opening (AEO) occurs in several clinical conditions, even in the absence of any other neurological sign; nonetheless, in most of the cases AEO has been reported in association with basal ganglia diseases, such as corticobasal degeneration (CBD). We describe a patient with a clinical diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia who, later, developed parkinsonian signs and AEO. We suggest that the finding of AEO in patients with a frontotemporal syndrome could be a helpful expedient for the early diagnosis of atypical clinical findings of CBD, characterised by behavioural and cognitive aspects at first

High precision leveling survey following the Md 4.0 Casamicciola earthquake of August 21, 2017 (Ischia, Southern Italy): field data and preliminary interpretation

The aim of this paper is the presentation of the results obtained from the high precision leveling survey carried out from November 6 to 11, 2017, in the area hit by the Md 4.0 Casamicciola earthquake of August 21, 2017, and critical discussion of these results in the light of the possible seismic source models. The measurements have been carried out on benchmarks of the northwestern sector of the altimetric network of the Ischia island, in the epicentral area. The heights of each benchmark have been obtained considering the historical reference benchmark n.1 located at Ischia Porto, and have been compensated over the whole stretch of the measured network; such heights have also been compared with those derived from the previous leveling campaign that was performed along the entire network in June 2010. The results obtained from the specific investigated leveling lines, which are considered representative of the kinematics of the northwestern area of the island, show conspicuous anomalies of ground deformation in the epicentral area of the August 21, 2017 earthquake. In particular, a significant ground subsidence of about 3.5 centimeters has been found between the benchmarks n. 92 and n. 98A along the “Borbonica Line”, quite anomalous compared to the previous measurements. Such subsidence located between the Piazza Maio (Casamicciola) and Fango (Lacco Ameno) localities, results spatially correlated with the deformation detected by the InSAR data analysis and coincides with the greatest macroseismic damages and with the coseismic surface fracture systems E-W oriented. Future leveling campaign in the area would be very crucial in order to follow and define the rate of postseismic motion of the seismogenetic source, also contributing with independent and valuable data to the seismic hazard knowledge of the Ischia island

Magnetism and stability of the Co:TiO2-y interface probed X-ray photoemission and ex-situ magnetometry

Ferromagnetic Co : TiO2 thin films have been grown by Co evaporation on a sputtered TiO2(1 0 0) surface. Annealing in ultra-high vacuum induced a recovery of the oxygen stoichiometry and consequently the oxidation of titanium to Ti4+ at the surface, while oxidation of the Co layer has not been observed. Room temperature ferromagnetism is observed, along with a paramagnetic contribution. Differences of the hysteresis cycle with respect to that usually observed for bulk cobalt are ascribed both to the reduced film thickness and to the disorder induced by the sputtering treatment. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Muscle Ultrasound as Imaging Domain of Frailty

Introduction: Frailty is a geriatric syndrome, a clinical state of vulnerability for developing dependency and/or death. Due to its multidimensional nature, Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) constitutes the best strategy to evaluate frailty in older patients. Accumulation of deficits model synthesizes the global assessment of geriatric domains in the Frailty Index (FI) score. Muscle Ultrasound (MUS) has been employed to evaluate muscle mass wasting as tool to assess sarcopenia in late life. The present study aims to evaluate the association between CGA-based FI and MUS measures in a population of hospitalized older adults. Methods: Patients aged ≥65 years underwent CGA for the evaluation of the domains of health and functional status, psycho-cognition, nutritional status, socio-environmental condition. Following standard procedure, a CGA-based FI was elaborated, taking into account 38 multidimensional items. Muscle thicknesses (MT) of rectus femoris plus vastus intermedius were measured through MUS axial cross-section. Multivariable regression analysis was employed to determine factors associated with FI. Results: The study population consisted of 136 older patients, 87 men (63.9%), with median age of 74 (70-81) years, FI of 0.3 (0.21-0.46), and MT of rectus femoris plus vastus intermedius 29.27 (23.08-35.7) mm. At multivariable regression analysis, FI resulted significantly and independently associated with age and MT. Conclusion: Muscle thicknesses of rectus femoris plus vastus intermedius, measured through MUS, resulted to be significantly related to FI in a population of hospitalized older patients. In the CGA-based assessment of frailty, MUS may constitute an additional imaging domain

Multidimensional assessment of time perception along the continuum of Alzheimer’s Disease and evidence of alterations in subjective cognitive decline

Abstract Timing alterations occur in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), even in early stages (mild cognitive impairment, MCI). Moreover, a stage named subjective cognitive decline (SCD), in which individuals perceive a change in cognitive performance not revealed by neuropsychological tests, has been identified as a preclinical phase of AD. However, no study to date has investigated different dimensions of time processing along the continuum from physiological to pathological aging, and whether timing alterations occur in SCD. Here a sample of participants with SCD, MCI, AD and healthy controls (HC) performed tasks assessing prospective duration estimation, production, reproduction, implicit temporal learning in conditions dependent from external cues (externally-cued learning, ECL) or independent from external cues (internally-based learning, IBL), retrospective duration estimation, the subjective experience of time and the temporal collocation of events. AD patients performed worse than HC and SCD in prospective timing, and in collocating events in time. The subjective experience of time did not differ between groups. Concerning temporal learning, AD performed worse in ECL than in IBL, whereas SCD performed worse in IBL than in ECL. SCD, MCI and AD patients all showed errors greater than HC in retrospective duration estimation. Results point to implicit temporal learning in externally-cued conditions and retrospective time estimation as possible early markers of cognitive decline