Abbatissae uenerabili Heanfled agnominatae: An etymological-onomastic note on a unique Anglo-Saxon woman’s name (S904)

The unique Anglo-Saxon woman’s name Heanfled (S904, c. 1002 AD) is generally interpreted as a scribal error for Eanfled (or Eadfled, or Heahfled). Although the hypothesis has been dismissed in the older literature, the possibility stands that the form handed down is correct, and Heanfled might represent a (Christian) proper name in its own right, deliberately created or shaped according to the rules presiding over the formation of Germanic dithematic anthroponyms

Clinical-Genetic Features Influencing Disability in Spastic Paraplegia Type 4: A Cross-sectional Study by the Italian DAISY Network

Background and objectives: Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are a group of inherited rare neurologic disorders characterized by length-dependent degeneration of the corticospinal tracts and dorsal columns, whose prominent clinical feature is represented by spastic gait. Spastic paraplegia type 4 (SPG4, SPAST-HSP) is the most common form. We present both clinical and molecular findings of a large cohort of patients, with the aim of (1) defining the clinical spectrum of SPAST-HSP in Italy; (2) describing their molecular features; and (3) assessing genotype-phenotype correlations to identify features associated with worse disability. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study with molecular and clinical data collected in an anonymized database was performed. Results: A total of 723 Italian patients with SPAST-HSP (58% men) from 316 families, with a median age at onset of 35 years, were included. Penetrance was 97.8%, with men showing higher Spastic Paraplegia Rating Scale (SPRS) scores (19.67 ± 12.58 vs 16.15 ± 12.61, p = 0.009). In 26.6% of patients with SPAST-HSP, we observed a complicated phenotype, mainly including intellectual disability (8%), polyneuropathy (6.7%), and cognitive decline (6.5%). Late-onset cases seemed to progress more rapidly, and patients with a longer disease course displayed a more severe neurologic disability, with higher SPATAX (3.61 ± 1.46 vs 2.71 ± 1.20, p < 0.001) and SPRS scores (22.63 ± 11.81 vs 12.40 ± 8.83, p < 0.001). Overall, 186 different variants in the SPAST gene were recorded, of which 48 were novel. Patients with SPAST-HSP harboring missense variants displayed intellectual disability (14.5% vs 4.4%, p < 0.001) more frequently, whereas patients with truncating variants presented more commonly cognitive decline (9.7% vs 2.6%, p = 0.001), cerebral atrophy (11.2% vs 3.4%, p = 0.003), lower limb spasticity (61.5% vs 44.5%), urinary symptoms (50.0% vs 31.3%, p < 0.001), and sensorimotor polyneuropathy (11.1% vs 1.1%, p < 0.001). Increasing disease duration (DD) and abnormal motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were also associated with increased likelihood of worse disability (SPATAX score>3). Discussion: The SPAST-HSP phenotypic spectrum in Italian patients confirms a predominantly pure form of HSP with mild-to-moderate disability in 75% of cases, and slight prevalence of men, who appeared more severely affected. Early-onset cases with intellectual disability were more frequent among patients carrying missense SPAST variants, whereas patients with truncating variants showed a more complicated disease. Both longer DD and altered MEPs are associated with worse disability

Extending in vitro digestion models to specific human populations: Perspectives, practical tools and bio-relevant information

[EN] Background In vitro digestion models show great promise in facilitating the rationale design of foods. This paper provides a look into the current state of the art and outlines possible future paths for developments of digestion models recreating the diverse physiological conditions of specific groups of the human population. Scope and approach Based on a collective effort of experts, this paper outlines considerations and parameters needed for development of new in vitro digestion models, e.g. gastric pH, enzymatic activities, gastric emptying rate and more. These and other parameters are detrimental to the adequate development of in vitro models that enable deeper insight into matters of food luminal breakdown as well as nutrient and nutraceutical bioaccessibility. Subsequently, we present an overview of some new and emerging in vitro digestion models mirroring the gastro-intestinal conditions of infants, the elderly and patients of cystic fibrosis or gastric bypass surgery. Key findings and conclusions This paper calls for synchronization, harmonization and validation of potential developments in in vitro digestion models that would greatly facilitate manufacturing of foods tailored or even personalized, to a certain extent, to various strata of the human population.Shani-Levi, C.; Alvito, P.; Andrés Grau, AM.; Assunção, R.; Barbera, R.; Blanquet-Diot, S.; Bourlieu, C.... (2017). Extending in vitro digestion models to specific human populations: Perspectives, practical tools and bio-relevant information. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 60:52-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2016.10.017S52636

Antroponimia femminile nella Scozia del XIII secolo: la testimonianza del Ragman Roll (1296)

La serie di documenti nota come Ragman Roll raccoglie i giuramenti di fedeltà e l’omaggio feudale resi da aristocratici, ecclesiastici, proprietari terrieri e borghesi di Scozia a Edoardo I Plantageneto dopo la campagna di occupazione inglese della primavera-estate 1296. In questa veste, essa riporta nomi e cognomi di circa 1800 persone, rappresentando una fonte preziosa per lo studio dell’antroponimia in uso in Scozia nella seconda metà del XIII secolo. Il presente saggio esamina gli antroponimi femminili nelle forme ricorrenti nel documento, ricostruendone la vicenda storico-etimologica e culturale

Gli usi dell’elemento gnomico nel Bruce di John Barbour

In his poem about Robert Bruce’s life and enterprises, John Barbour (1319-95) uses the gnomic element in a variety of ways. Proverbs, maxims, and occasional gnomic utterances or verses are employed to shape the text, as commentary, prolexis, summary, example, and comparison, in order to give an insight into the personality of important characters (especially the protagonist), and highlight propagandistic and ideological themes that are an essential part of the poem’s complex frame

Antroponimia femminile nella Scozia del XIII secolo: la testimonianza del Ragman Roll (1296) Feminine anthroponyms in 13th-century Scotland: the Ragman Roll (1296)

La serie di documenti nota come <em>Ragman</em> <em>Roll</em> raccoglie i giuramenti di fedeltà e l’omaggio feudale resi da aristocratici, ecclesiastici, proprietari terrieri e borghesi di Scozia a Edoardo I Plantageneto dopo la campagna di occupazione inglese della primavera-estate 1296. In questa veste, essa riporta nomi e cognomi di circa 1800 persone, rappresentando una fonte preziosa per lo studio dell’antroponimia in uso in Scozia nella seconda metà del XIII secolo. Il presente saggio esamina gli antroponimi femminili nelle forme ricorrenti nel documento, ricostruendone la vicenda storico-etimologica e culturale.<p>The documents known as <em>Ragman Roll</em> collect the fealty oaths sworn and the homages rendered by Scottish nobility, clergy, landowners and burgesses to Edward I Plantagenet after the English invasion of Scotland in the spring and summer of 1296. These documents record personal names and surnames of ca. 1800 people, being a precious source for the study of Scottish anthroponymy in the second half of the 13<sup>th</sup> century. This paper focuses on the feminine anthroponyms occurring in the <em>Ragman Roll</em>, on their form and on their historical-etymological and cultural background.</p&gt

Feminine anthroponyms in 13th-century Scotland: the Ragman Roll (1296)

The documents known as Ragman Roll collect the fealty oaths sworn and the homages rendered by Scottish nobility, clergy, landowners and burgesses to Edward I Plantagenet after the English invasion of Scotland in the spring and summer of 1296. These documents record personal names and surnames of ca. 1800 people, being a precious source for the study of Scottish anthroponymy in the second half of the 13th century. This paper focuses on the feminine anthroponyms occurring in the Ragman Roll, on their form and on their historical-etymological and cultural background

A Note on the Glosses to the Zürcher Arzneibuch

The text of the so-called Zürcher Arzneibuch, one of the earliest medicine books written in German (end of the 12th century), is completed by three interlinear (two German/German and one German/Latin) glosses. The first gloss presumably offers a common synonym for a rarer verb contained in the main text, the second one explains a portion of text otherwise not immediately understandable, due to two subsequent abbreviations, and the third one appears as a grammatical note to a word whose form could be ambiguous