Positive Assessment as Support to Personal Life Designing in Transition to Adulthood: A Case Study

Transitioning to adulthood is a natural process involving multiple factors. Adolescents living with developmental disabilities experience more difficulties in anticipating and dealing with transitions, in moving toward positive adulthood trajectories. According to current counseling literature some resources are particularly relevant in order to support these goals. The case study presented here is an example of the possibility and usefulness of giving voice to adolescents with developmental disability who are close to life transitions and assessing their resilience, adaptability, courage and future goals. Professionals interested in social and work inclusion of young adults with developmental disabilities are then invited to highlight relevant attitudes toward everyday life and resources for future life designin

Verifica delle equazioni disponibili per la stima della potenza cinetica delle precipitazioni naturali

Nella memoria sono riportati i risultati delle indagini condotte utilizzando le distribuzioni dimensionali delle gocce di pioggia (DSD) rilevate mediante un disdrometro ottico installato, nel periodo Giugno 2006 - Marzo 2014, presso il Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali dell’Università degli Studi di Palermo e nel periodo Luglio 2015-Gennaio 2016 presso la stazione sperimentale di El Teularet in Spagna. Dopo aver aggregato le DSD per classi di intensità differenti in ampiezza, è stata determinata la potenza cinetica associando a ciascun diametro della DSD aggregata la relativa velocità di caduta calcolata mediante una relazione reperita in letteratura. I valori di potenza cinetica così determinati sono stati utilizzati per testare l’applicabilità delle relazioni potenza cinetica-intensità della precipitazione proposte da Wischmeier and Smith (1978) e da Brown and Foster (1987). Le misure di potenza cinetica, dimostrano l’esistenza di un valore soglia di intensità di precipitazione superato il quale il diametro mediano volumetrico e, di conseguenza, la potenza cinetica, possono essere assunti costanti. Questi risultati costituiscono una verifica dell’approccio di Wischmeier e Smith (1978)

Cell Propagation of Cholera Toxin CTA ADP-Ribosylating Factor by Exosome Mediated Transfer

In this study, we report how the cholera toxin (CT) A subunit (CTA), the enzyme moiety responsible for signaling alteration in host cells, enters the exosomal pathway, secretes extracellularly, transmits itself to a cell population. The first evidence for long-term transmission of CT's toxic effect via extracellular vesicles was obtained in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. To follow the CT intracellular route towards exosome secretion, we used a novel strategy for generating metabolically-labeled fluorescent exosomes that can be counted by flow cytometry assay (FACS) and characterized. Our results clearly show the association of CT with exosomes, together with the heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and Protein Disulfide Isomerase (PDI) molecules, proteins required for translocation of CTA across the ER membrane into the cytoplasm. Confocal microscopy showed direct internalization of CT containing fluorescent exo into CHO cells coupled with morphological changes in the recipient cells that are characteristic of CT action. Moreover, Me665 cells treated with CT-containing exosomes showed an increase in Adenosine 3',5'-Cyclic Monophosphate (cAMP) level, reaching levels comparable to those seen in cells exposed directly to CT. Our results prompt the idea that CT can exploit an exosome-mediated cell communication pathway to extend its pathophysiological action beyond an initial host cell, into a multitude of cells. This finding could have implications for cholera disease pathogenesis and epidemiology

Metabolic Syndrome: Gender Differences

Metabolic syndrome is commonly defined as the association of multiple risk factors for the development of atherosclerotic disease. Despite the different definitions of diagnostic criteria, the presence of at least three of the following conditions defines the clinical presentation of the metabolic syndrome: atherogenic dyslipidemia (low levels of HDL cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides, apolipoprotein B and small and dense LDL), basically high levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, impaired fasting glycemia and abdominal obesity [1]. Primary pathogenic mechanisms underlying metabolic syndrome are mainly due to insulin resistance (or poor insulin sensitivity) and visceral obesity. Insulin resistance, a condition where insulin determines a lower biological effect than expected, is largely represented in patients with metabolic syndrome and it is associated with a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the short term. Obesity and physical inactivity represent predisposing conditions for the development of metabolic syndrome and perhaps represent the main mechanism underlying the epidemic of metabolic syndrome, as observed in recent years

Characterizing rainfall erosivity by kinetic power-Median volume diameter relationship

Kinetic power, i.e. kinetic energy per unit time and area, is the variable widely used to represent the rainfall erosivity which affects soil loss and sediment yield. This paper shows the results of an experimental investigation using the raindrop size distributions (DSDs) measured by an optical disdrometer installed at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences of University of Palermo in Italy (June 2006-March 2014) and at the El Teularet experimental station in Spain (July 2015-May 2016). At first an analysis of the DSDs aggregated into intensity classes is carried out, then the measured kinetic power values are determined. The aggregated DSDs allowed to establish that the median volume diameter of the distribution is affected by raindrops characterized by the greatest values of the diameters that composes precipitation. The measured kinetic power values allowed to verify the reliability of kinetic power-rainfall intensity relationships proposed by Wischmeier and Smith and Kinnell. Finally, using all the available measurements of kinetic power, rainfall intensity and median volume diameter obtained in different climatic contexts and by different measurement techniques, this paper demonstrates that the ratio between kinetic power and rainfall intensity depends strictly only on median volume diameter of the distribution according to a single site-independent relationship. Therefore the estimate of the kinetic energy per unit volume of rainfall does not require the knowledge of the whole drop size distribution. The reliability of a theoretical relationship relating the kinetic power per unit volume of rainfall to median volume diameter is also positively verified using all available measurements

Investigating the inhibition of FTSJ1 a tryptophan tRNA-specific 2’-O-methyltransferase by NV TRIDs, as a mechanism of readthrough in nonsense mutated CFTR

Abstract: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease caused by mutations in the CFTR gene, coding for the CFTR chloride channel. About 10% of the CFTR gene mutations are "stop" mutations, which generate a Premature Termination Codon (PTC), thus synthesizing a truncated CFTR protein. A way to bypass PTC relies on ribosome readthrough, which is the ri-bosome’s capacity to skip a PTC, thus generating a full-length protein. “TRIDs” are molecules exerting ribosome readthrough; for some, the mechanism of action is still under debate. We in-vestigate a possible mechanism of action (MOA) by which our recently synthesized TRIDs, namely NV848, NV914, and NV930, could exert their readthrough activity by in silico analysis and in vitro studies. Our results suggest a likely inhibition of FTSJ1, a tryptophan tRNA-specific 2’-O-methyltransferase

MIF rs755622 and IL6 rs1800795 Are Implied in Genetic Susceptibility to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by an increased risk of kidney failure and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Aging and comorbidities as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, or tumors, might increase the risk of dialysis. In addition, genetic susceptibility factors might modulate kidney damage evolution. We have analyzed, in a group of ESRD patients and matched controls, a set of SNPs of genes (Klotho rs577912, rs564481, rs9536314; FGF23 rs7955866; IGF1 rs35767; TNFA rs1800629; IL6 rs1800795; MIF rs755622, rs1007888) chosen in relation to their possible involvement with renal disease and concomitant pathologies. Analysis of the raw data did indicate that IL6 rs180795 and MIF rs755622 SNPs might be markers of genetic susceptibility to ESRD. In particular, the C positive genotypes of MIF rs755622, (dominant model) seem to be an independent risk factor for ESDR patients (data adjusted for age, gender, and associated pathologies). Stratifying results according to age MIF rs755622 C positive genotype frequencies are increased in both the two age classes considered (<59 and ≥59-year-old subjects). Analyses of data according to gender allowed us to observe that ESRD women shoved a significantly reduced frequency of genotypes bearing IL6 rs180795 C allele. In addition, MIF rs755622 might interact with diabetes or hypercholesterolemia in increasing susceptibility to ESRD. In conclusion, our data indicate that some polymorphisms involved in the regulation of both renal function and inflammatory response can influence the evolution of chronic kidney disease and suggest that the modulation of the activities of these and other genes should also be considered as therapeutic targets on to intervene with innovative therapies